Not Quite a Romance Novel
by whoknoez
Summary: From Kagome's POV. As a desperate female seeking a desperate male, I ask upon chance and fortune to smile down upon me. Kagome. Rated T for now. I think it might stay at this rating, actually.
1. To Whom It May Concern

**wk: **I know I haven't updated regularly as promised, and on top of that, I'm adding this story. --; I'm very sorry. (Sighs) I just couldn't get this story idea out of my head. Actually, when I began typing it, this isn't how I planned to write it. I might change it... --; (Sighs again)

**Chapter One  
To Whom It May Concern**

Do you ever sit around your house, waiting for a life to begin?

If you're a girl, you probably read romance novels, are just sitting around gaining weight on your bed with each piece of chocolate, reading some interesting articles on the computer, magazine, etc. You swoon over old movies, wishing the guy in the television set would pop out and embrace you like his lover. You admire the width of Brad Pitt's shoulders, the… Well, you just admire Brad Pitt… and Will Smith… and Colin Farrell… and… Well, you get the idea, right? Of course, if you're the popular female, you have the body of a Victoria's Secret model and slept around with enough guys to make hotel pillows cry in shame, or you have victimized enough people to make you seem "cool". You plaster enough make-up on your face to make china dolls look real, and you despise pounds on your body. No matter what weight you are, you _must _say, "I'm fat," or "I'm ugly," or "Does this make me look fat?" Of course, you get the rare girls that are popular because they're _nice_. Of course, we all know the females in this world are crazy, PMS-driven, insane, homicidal, hormone-driven, writhing mass of nicely permed hair and flesh that fight with words and insults, which most of the times hurt a lot worse. So, in reality, being one of those nice popular girls that are produced once in a millennia doesn't really matter, seeing as you're practically impossible to find.

If you're an unpopular male, you're probably a computer nerd with more zits than stars in the sky. You probably have a large network of other geeks as friends, and you probably all get online to watch porn together. If this is you… Therapy might help. However, if you're the rare, okay looking guy that's shy and can't really seem to get your life started, or you can't get the nerve to ask out the girl of your dreams… Dear Abby might help you. If you're a popular male… There is either a little boy crying out for attention in your track star body with the IQ of that little boy (dumb jocks), or a genuinely nice guy that climbed up the social ladder (I somehow doubt this. You probably slept with so many girls, they put your picture under "STDs" in the dictionary).

You probably go to school everyday, knowing it's going to be a dull experience if your one friend in every class isn't there. Everyone seems to like you well enough, but at the same time, you're at a distance, no matter how hard you try to breach it. You have one best friend, but he/she is in the popular crowd, and barely has time to speak with you, but always manages to do it anyway for your sake. Every time he/she does this, you renew your realization that you don't need anyone else as long as you have your best friend, your fat cat/dog/fish/bird/hamster/guinea pig/snake/siblings, and your family.

Still… Don't you get lonely sometimes? Your best friend has gotten a boy/whoknowswhattheyare/girlfriend, and you're the third wheel whenever you hang out with them. They call each other "Monkey Butt" (Not really), "Sweetiekins" (Only as a joke), "Pumpkin Pie" (Maybe if they got married), or a gargle of noises that don't really make sense to us single people. You've dated before, you've had serious boy/whoknowswhattheyare/girlfriends before, but then in the end… They never amount to what you need. And you start to doubt.

As a desperate female (the kind described above) seeking a desperate male (not the nerds… Please not the nerds!), I ask upon chance and fortune to smile down upon me.

--_Kagome_

* * *

**wk**: Yay! Okay. Like I said, this isn't how I meant it to turn out. I kinda like the format though, so we'll see if I decide to keep it. 


	2. Nerds Gone Wild

**wk**: All right! Finally starting to update again, now that my life is a little more stable. Hope you like the chapter, and Merry early Christmas and a Happy New Year!

**Chapter Two  
Nerds Gone Wild**

So what if I carry around a book? I thought to myself.

So what if I actually _like _some of my classes? So what if I don't like to go to parties because they make me uncomfortable? That doesn't make me a nerd.

Oh God. Yes it does. It makes me into one of the biggest nerds on campus.

At least I don't wear coke bottle glasses.

Sighing, I took out my favorite book from my purse. If I was going to find an attractive man, I was going to have to start changing. Starting now. Cursing, I stuffed my book back into my purse.

Just because I had to change didn't mean I had to do it right away, right? I needed something to read during my break in between classes anyway.

My change could start when I went shopping today. I was going to look pretty tomorrow. No, I wouldn't settle for pretty—I am going to look _gorgeous _tomorrow.

I nearly snorted at my own joke.

Don't get me wrong. I know I'm not _ugly_. I've had a fair share of interest from the opposite sex before. Still. I wasn't a beauty queen.

I made a list of things to do today for tomorrow—Sango wouldn't recognize her best friend by the time I was done with myself, I vowed. I had to look great for her wedding!

I started to make a list.

1. Pick up Maid of Honor dress.

All right. Number one was done. Now for the rest of the list…

2. Wear make-up. Look natural!

3. Buy impressive heels.

4. Cut hair. Short (?)

I stopped here. Did I really want to cut my hair?

4._ Trim _hair.

5.

Was this all my list entailed? Hm…

5. Buy clothes. Sexy clothes.

6. Get pretty trinkets/ jewelry.

7. Find date for tomorrow's wedding.

I cringed at the last one. Shit. I had not found a date yet. I shouldn't have been so picky, but I didn't want to ask Hojou. Still, if I couldn't find one by tomorrow morning (at the mall?), then I would have to—

My cell phone was ringing. It was Sango. Pre-wedding jitters maybe?

"Hello?"

"Kagome!" Sango sounded rushed. Understandable, considering tomorrow was the big day. Plans must still be in the making. "I found a date for you!"

My interest was pricked. And what good timing. It must have been fate. "Oh yeah? Who?"

Unfortunately, at that moment, I heard a male voice in the background say, "I don't need a fucking date! Why can't I just dip after being your best man? I have a project to do, man!"

"Um… If that's my date talking, I'll pass," I said dryly. "He sounds violent."

"He is, but he can be very nice when he wants to be!" Sango tried to defend him. It wasn't a good defense.

"Nice try, Sango. But I think I might bring the monotonous Hojou."

"At least Inuyasha would bring some fun into your life," Sango said snippily. I bristled, but calmed. Sango was probably just stressed from running around. As if reading my mind, she quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry, sorry… You know I've been stressed lately. What with it being _tomorrow _and all… Oh, God, Kagome, am I doing the right thing?"

Considering we had this conversation about fifty billion times before this, and all of them had the same answer, I figured I should deviate a little.

"No. You're not. You're going to have a miserable life filled with children who adore you and a husband who can't get enough of you. Oh, woe is you. To have such a fate—"

"Okay, I get it, I get it," Sango said, laughing. "Well, I'll tell him to find another date. He needs to have one. So you're bringing Hojou?"

I sighed. "Do I have a choice? One man is a boring pharmaceutical drab, and the other is a homicidal, violent maniac."

"He's not a maniac. Or homicidal," Sango defended.

But she left "violent" undisputed. I'll pass.

"I'll go with the non-abusive one."

"Okay, your choice. Inuyasha is a perfectly nice guy, though. I think you two would—"

Ah ha! So this was a matchmaking attempt on Sango's part! Tsk tsk. I had caught on. She abruptly cut herself off. Seems she had caught on to her mistake as well.

"I mean, you know, I think you two would be good _friends_, have a good _friendly _conversation, a good _friendly _meal…" Sango paused. "_Friendly _sex?"

"Sango!" I gasped, my hand going to my heart and clutching. I quickly put a stop to that. I was being a nerd again. Recover, recover! "I mean, maybe with someone I _know_… But not with a stranger, Sango!" There. I had covered my tracks. Now she won't think me some kind of ignorant virgin.

Nevermind that she already _knew _I was an ignorant virgin. She _was _my best friend after all.

"Mm hm…" Sango sighed. "Kagome, you should get out more often. You know, the values that life will teach you are limitless—" A crash resounded in the background. Cursing from previous aforementioned violent boy was heard. Understandably, Sango left me with a quick goodbye.

Back to the list.

8. Buy sexy underwear.

9. Buy a book.

The list was complete.

* * *

The mall is such a chaotic place to be. I hate it with such a passion. If my best friend wasn't getting married, I wouldn't be here right now. I would be sleeping, or studying for my upcoming exam… 

Oh God, my exam. I hope I have time to study later today because if not I'm—

Focus! Push school to the nerdy part of the brain. Now let's try to develop a "girl" part of the brain.

Activate. "Girl".

I looked down at my list. Number one had been completed already. Although there was a sexy little number that I would _like _to wear… It was something I wouldn't normally wear. That alone made me decide to get it. The dress was simple in style, and black. Black was good. Black made you look slimmer, right? The dress had no straps, and came down to the knees.

Number two I would do at home later.

Number three…

I went into a shoe store, and looked around. The lady apparently thought I wasn't worth helping. Maybe I looked too poor for her. Well, bully that!

"Excuse me," I said, bringing her attention to me. She raised a cool eyebrow at me. "If you could help me, I need to find some blue heels to go with my dress," I said, almost regally which I think impressed her. She immediately went over to the heels, and pointed out some nice blue heels that could definitely go with my dress.

I looked at the bottom of the shoes and blanched.

Okay, so maybe the shoes _were _too expensive for me.

Then again, these one pair of shoes were pretty cute… And I _did _have enough money saved up…

Uh-oh… This "Girl" brain was potentially dangerous. But it was too late. The impulse as well as the suggestion had been implanted into "Girl" brain. I was going to buy the shoes.

Once bought, I felt a mixture of accomplishment and sorrow. I would have to use the first, get over the second.

Okay, onward to number four! I made my way to a hairdresser's, but chickened out of a major haircut. Thank goodness the lady agreed that long hair suited me better. Otherwise, I'm not sure what the crazy "Girl" brain would have made me do. She trimmed it, layered it, and dyed my hair a nice dark brown. Afterwards, I looked—"Girl" brain agrees—pretty.

Number five was to buy sexy clothes, but I decided to forgo this one because I had spent a lot of money so far, and I didn't want to waste _too _much today. So I skipped to number six. I bought a nice silver necklace that would go along nicely with the dress, as well as some earrings that sparkled and brought attention to my face.

Number seven had been taken care of—Hojou had agreed to be my date this morning. So number eight—I had to buy sexy lingerie.

I went, of course, to Victoria's Secret. The underwear and bras are of course, ridiculously priced, but I didn't know where else to go other than the highly publicized lingerie shop.

I bought a relatively cheap underwear and bra set, and I had to admit that it looked sexy just sitting in the bag. It was lacy and form fitting, and _red._ A nice, "I'm seducing you" red. It made me blush just thinking about wearing it. Most likely it would go into the back of my closet, rotting there until I brought it out for a special occasion. Like my wedding in twenty or so years.

Almost done—Number nine. I went and bought a book to read if the reception got too boring and I would have nothing to do.

I went back home and got ready. When I applied the last of my lip gloss, I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look half bad, considering it was a rush job—I had to go for the rehearsals soon.

I went to go pick up Hojou (He doesn't have a car), and made my way to the church. As Maid of Honor, I was on time for the rehearsals, and the bridesmaids (some of our other friends like Rika, Eri, and Ayumi) and I were practicing when a bad-tempered male barged inside the church.

He looked a mess. His tie was not done, his hair was disheveled, and the top two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. Not to mention his shirt was not tucked. I nearly tsked at him until I stopped myself. When I looked back at the bridesmaids to whisper to them (not to gossip about the newcomer, I assure you) I saw nearly all of their tongues wagging out, and little hearts in their eyes. I followed their feverish gazes back to the newcomer who had come alarmingly close.

I decided to take charge. I was not as hormonal as these girls seemed to be. I stepped in front of him, not enabling him to go further. He froze, and stared down at me, his face unshaven and a scowl on his face.

"Get out of my way, bitch," he snarled. I bristled at the name-calling.

"My name is Kagome. Ka. Go. Me." Uh-oh. I had told my name to a psychopath. Time to fix the problem. "Look, there's a wedding that's going to go on here, and the bar's down the street if you don't want to quit drinking. So instead of causing trouble, why don't you crawl back into the bottle you came out of, hm?" I said calmly, my hands on my hips.

His glare turned into an incredulous stare, and to my surprise, he started to laugh.

"You think I'm a fucking drunk?"

"Look," I started, getting angry that he was laughing at me. What was so damn funny, anyway? "I don't know what you want from us, but you're not going to get it. Now if you would please step out of this holy sanctuary—"

"Inuyasha!" Miroku exclaimed. Miroku walked briskly out of a side hallway to hug Inuyasha. Inuyasha—reluctantly—hugged him back. "I'm glad you came. You're a bit late, but I'm sure these lovely ladies will be able to fill you in."

I pointed a stunned finger at the despicable man in front of me. "You're telling me _this _is the best man?"

Miroku turned to me, a little confused. "Why, yes, Kagome. I understand you two haven't met before. Was I wrong? I sense some hostility towards each other."

"No, no," I bit out. "Everything is fine. Dandy. Perfect."

"Okay…" Miroku let out slowly. "Then I'm going to check up on Sango…" He walked out of the room slowly, as if leaving quickly might alert our attention to him and alert our predatory instincts.

Rehearsals went well, considering Inuyasha and I were muttering insults under our breaths.

I kind of wanted Hojou to come and defend my honor, but he was fast asleep on one of the pews, snoring lightly. Stupid boy.

The time of the wedding came, and although I had seen Sango in her full wedding attire before, she looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked in with her head bowed and a bouquet of white roses in her hands. Even Inuyasha was silent, thankfully giving Sango that respect. Miroku, who was standing next to Inuyasha, was floored, his mouth gaping open like a fish out of water.

As Miroku helped Sango up, I got teary even before the priest spoke his words. Here were two of my best friends, and they were amazingly getting married to each other. They were both in college, but had decided to take a semester off to get married. They loved each other that much—they couldn't wait.

I got starry-eyed whenever I thought of the two. I also got envious.

I wanted that. I wanted that perfect love.

The two kissed, ensuring that their marriage would be everlasting, and turned to leave joyously, taking their first steps together. They got into their limo, while the crowd followed behind, and they left for the reception.

"God, I wanna blow this joint," I heard Inuyasha mutter next to me.

_No one's stopping you, _I mentally say, with a roll of my eyes.

"What are you rolling your eyes at, bitch?" Inuyasha snarled at me. Oops. I guess I hadn't been careful about where I roll my eyes.

Instead of answering him, I sort of panicked and ran away. In a _dignified _manner of course. I'm sure he thought I was just ignoring him. I went to my car to grab my change of clothes. I didn't want to be wearing this poofy dress when I got to the reception anyway.

I grabbed the dress that I had bought at the mall (remember the sexy black dress?), the sexy (I blush) underwear, and changed inside the church. I touched up on my make-up, and left the church to head to the reception place, Hojou in tow.

When I got there, there was a man standing at the door to check a list—I was assuming the guest list. As I approached, he predictably asked me for my name. I told him my name, and I waited… And waited. He finally told me my name could not be found. In astonishment, I looked around the door, wondering if I had come to the right place. It seemed like it.

"You need to look closer at it! I was the Maid of Honor!" I cry.

"I've heard _that _before," He said, unconcerned with my plight.

"Kagome Higurashi. You sure it's not on the list?" I ask.

"Could you look for Hojou?" My date piped up. The man looked at his list and let Hojou in. Hojou stood at the door, waiting for me.

"She's my date," He called from his position at the door.

"That's great. But if she's not on the list, then she can't get in," The man stated.

I kicked him in the shin. He didn't budge.

"Lady, I suggest you don't do that again. I could hurt you."

"You're making me miss my _best friend's _reception when all you have to do is look _closely _at the list and confirm what I've been trying to tell you! My name is Kagome. Ka. Go. Me. You get that, beef-for-brains?" I snapped. The man did not seem to be moved as he stared at me (At least I think he was staring at me—he had dark sunglasses covering his eyes).

"_I! Have! To! Make! A! __Speech!_" I screeched, each word punctuated by an attempted hit on the rock wall that was the man refusing me entrance. He grabbed each of my wrists, his list clattering to the ground. His sunglasses slid down his nose, and as I looked into his eyes, I could tell he was pissed.

Oh man. I'm in trouble.

"Listen, _miss_. I think _you,_" he said as he started to drag me away from the door, "need to calm down somewhere else, and I'm sorry if you're not on the list but I can't let you in!" I heard Hojou's distressed noises from the doorway.

I shut my eyes and dug in my heels. I was not going to let this boulder bully me! I tried to wrench my hands out of his grip, but he held tight, slowly dragging me further and further. I started to just kick him, kick him in the back of the legs, step on his feet, ram my shoulder into his back, whatever I could do. When my sharp heel made contact with one of his toes, he yelped and let me go—

--Right into a puddle.

Or I would have, if a certain moody fellow hadn't stepped in. He caught me as my bum was just an inch away from the dirty puddle (My beautiful new dress!). I nearly collapsed in relief anyway when he righted me. I straightened my knees forcefully.

Inuyasha was yelling at the man, pulling up his sleeves obviously looking for a fight. I ran over to the list, and perused it quickly.

"Look, look! It's my name! My name!" I yelled, waving the clipboard. Inuyasha paused from his wrathful tirade. I ran over (or quickly walked—running is hard in heels!), and showed the brute of a bodyguard my name. He grunted, and looked a bit ashamed. He apologized profusely though, and I was about to accept when the _other _brute started to drag me away.

I wrenched my arm out of his grip. "Don't you think I've been manhandled enough?" I yelled. I rubbed my sore arm, and I saw guilt flash into his eyes. At least, I think it was guilt. Perhaps it was annoyance? Oh, no. _That _particular emotion was in his eyes _now_. I think he was annoyed at me. It only irked me. Why should _he _be annoyed at me? Then again, he _did _save me. Oh, the dilemma of having a conscience.

"Thank you," I quickly said. His eyebrow quirked.

"You all right?" he asked. He looked away, as if not concerned with the answer.

"Yes. Fine." I answered primly. "I—I guess I owe you," I said slowly, wincing at the end. I hated knowing that I owed the Neanderthal _something_.

"You don't owe me shit. It was taking too long for your stupid ass to get inside." Inuyasha snapped. "Stupid bitch," he muttered as he walked inside. I think my mouth fell open in shock. When I recovered, I went inside as well, anger bubbling under the surface like boiling lava.

When I walked in let in, I saw more men stationed around the building, sunglasses, suits, and the little wire thing that went into their ear. They looked like Secret Service.

Of course, it was probably because Sango's father was a very important man. Which made Sango a very important daughter. I figured Sango had compromised with her father for less security at the wedding, in exchange for _more _security at the reception, because there were plenty of men here to protect whoever needed protecting. Gee, I hoped that the President wasn't short a few men. I'm sure Sango's father could have lent him some.

"Kagome!" Sango shouted, waving me over to their table. I sat down at my assigned seat, and to my horror, realized it was next to Inuyasha's. I also realized that Hojou wasn't sitting near me. It was most likely because I didn't have a date until the very last minute. And with Sango's matchmaking tendencies…

I was stuck next to Mr. Sunshine. I wondered how he looked so _perfect_, as if nothing had happened at all. This thought made me wince. I was probably a mess. I went to the bathroom and fixed myself the best I could—which wasn't much at all. My hair was still a mess and I had no idea how to fix it. Sighing, I made my way back out and sat next to Inuyasha.

I hope he doesn't start a fight with me. I would hate to have to fight someone who had just saved me. Of course, he _had _called me a stupid bitch…

Uh-oh. Away from gruesome thoughts. Breathe. I am _not _a vindictive person. I am _not _a cruel person. I am _not _a person that goes around looking for fights. I am calm…

We each made our speeches for Sango and Miroku at that time, and I was glad to say that I was genuinely happy. I cried a little, I'm not embarrassed to say. Inuyasha made some crude comments that made the audience laugh, and I rolled my eyes at him. We sat back down when we were done.

"Do you mind not sitting so close? Your stink kind of makes my food taste sour," Inuyasha said calmly as he shoveled some food into his mouth.

I forked up some food, and shoved it into my mouth, determined not to say anything back to him. _Think of a good comeback. What can you say back to that?_

"Are you sure that's not your own smell? Last time I checked, _you _were the one that hadn't bathed, you alcoholic."

"I _told _you I'm not—"

"Ah, nice to see our best friends getting along," Miroku interrupted, a pleasant smile on his face. I didn't know whether he was being sarcastic or not, but if he had any _hint _of the conversation between Inuyasha and I, his comment would have been withdrawn. Perhaps he just saw that Inuyasha and I were in a conversation, and assumed that we were being friendly to each other.

"Why don't you two—" Miroku was interrupted this time by his new wife pulling on his arm.

"Sorry to break up the conversation, but they're demanding the dance from us, Miroku," Sango hissed.

"Why, Sango, it's our first dance together. You should be happy—"

"I'll be happy later once I'm out of this dress, I've consummated my marriage, and I'm getting at least two good nights of sleep," she hissed, dragging him away.

"I would like nothing better myself," I heard Miroku say after her, a large grin on his face. "Excuse me. The lady is calling."

Hm. That was a little more information than I wanted from my best friend. The mental image that came to my mind was brief but traumatizing. I snuck a peek at Inuyasha and saw that he was just as disgusted as me, a firm scowl in place.

"Too much information," I mumbled as I delicately ate a piece of shrimp.

"You're telling me," he grumbled. We glanced at each other incredulously.

I can't believe we just agreed on something.

The moment lasted perhaps a millisecond before we were turning away from each other, eating silently now. If I were an outsider looking in, I would have said that we were pouting and sulking. Which _I _wasn't. I was simply enjoying my meal now that the Neanderthal had run out of opinions to say to me.

I decided to ignore what had happened and enjoyed Sango's and Miroku's dance. Despite Sango's protests, she looked genuinely happy as she danced around with Miroku.

When one of the bridesmaids asked Inuyasha to dance, he eagerly accepted, giving me a wary glance as if I would chop off his legs if he went. I rolled my eyes at him, not understanding this strange behavior. Just because we agreed on something didn't make us automatic friends. Puh-leeze. As if.

I sort of just sat there, eating the rest of my food and drinking wine. I'm not too sure, but I believe I was starting to get tipsy. Everything was beginning to spin just a little bit when Hojou came up to me to ask me to dance. I accepted, although I don't dance—normally.

Of course, when you're tipsy, dancing is a whole 'nother story. I was having a gay old time, laughing at Hojou's two left feet (Not out loud! That would be so mean!) and just jiggling my body this way and that. And I'm pretty sure, when I think back on it in the future, I will be laughing hysterically at this memory because it is not a song to be jiggling to. Hojou seemed at a loss, and he was trying to _quietly_ take me back to my seat, but I think I resisted. Loudly resisted.

"You can't take me!" I was arguing quite sensibly. When a waiter passed by with a tray of champagne glasses (Or wine glasses—I really must look up the difference sometimes. Alcohol is alcohol to me, I'm afraid) I was pleasantly distracted as I grabbed one and gulped it down. It fizzed in my throat and I (Oopsie) belched loudly.

"I don't _want _to sit down, Hojou!" I yanked my arm out of his grip as I carried the glass to the bar—was it an open bar? I asked the bartender. He answered in the affirmative, and I immediately took the opportunity to order a drink.

"Are you twenty-one?" he had the audacity to ask me!

"Yes," I answer indignantly (Never mind that I still had a month to go before I turn twenty-one). I pull my identification out of my handy dandy, lacy red bra and show it to him. He stares intently.

"Okay," he answers, making me a "mystery drink". Well, that was easy to convince him. I stuff the identification back into bra, making sure no "oopsies" come from that. He made me a "Long Island."

No idea what that means, but I was angry to realize he had given me tea.

"Oh, a first-timer, huh?" he said in reply to my anger. "Honey, if it's hard liquor that you want—" A fluttering Hojou was easily ignored, "—I can easily give you a shot of vodka. Is that what you need darling?"

I frowned at that. I wasn't his darling. "No, no, no," I said, deciding to correct him. "I'm not your darling. My best friend will tell you!" I looked around, shouting Sango's name.

"She left with Miroku about two minutes ago. She waved goodbye to you," Hojou supplied.

"Well, crap," I said. "Now how will _he _know I'm not his darling?" I asked. A perfectly reasonable question.

"Maybe you shouldn't take this shot…" The bartender said, about to retract the liquor. I quickly grabbed my little shot glass, tsking. I managed to spill only a little bit of it, but I held onto the rest of it with graceful poise.

"Cheers," The bartender said, taking a shot with me. I tilted the small glass up to my lips, not expecting the burn down my throat from just the small amount of liquid. Tears came to my eyes as I coughed and sputtered down my first shot ever.

"Kagome, let's go home now. I think you've drank plenty enough—"

"Sh," I interrupted, placing my hand over his mouth. "I think you're just here to ruin my fun, Hojou-kun! But don't worry, that's okay. I have a fondness for you, even if it won't be anything more." Oops. Did I say too much? Oh well. The kid needed to find out anyway.

"Bartender, another one!" I shouted.

"Kagome, that's enough—"

"Darl—I mean, I think you've had enough," The bartender said with a faint smile. "You're pretty drunk."

"I'm not drunk. Just tipsy. I know my limit. You know, I know when to stop." To prove this, I stood straight and focused my bleary eyes on his face.

"Yes, I can see that. That's why I'm telling you to stop. Didn't you drive, young lady?" he asked.

Oh. Crap. I think I did. And I also think that Hojou didn't drive either.

Oh wait, he doesn't even have a car.

"Hey! You don't have a car! Gosh… Aren't you in college already?" I asked him.

He bristled with pricked pride. "I _choose _not to have a car, Higurashi, because I can take public transportation and get wherever I need to go—"

"Calm down. I didn't mean nothing by it. Geez. Gotta get all defensive about it. So how 'bout another drink there, Bartender-san?"

"Hm… I don't think so, little lady," he said with a genial smile. I wasn't about to be fooled by it. I pouted. And opened my mouth—

"I want more alcohol!"

"God, woman, and you thought _I _was an alcoholic?" My nose crinkled in thought. Who did that voice belong to? I turned around, and saw Inuyasha's black hair before I saw anything else. There was so much of it.

"You know, it's distasteful to drink so much at your best friend's wedding—when she isn't even here," Inuyasha said, frowning. I didn't care. I just stared at him. I didn't have time to stare at him before, but now that I did… He wasn't half-bad, considering he was an ill-tempered lout.

My brows furrowed. "Hey, I don't think I like you," I declared. His own brows lifted at that.

"The sentiment goes both ways, brat," he snapped. I recoiled a little from this insult. Then I scowled.

"Hey, I didn't do anything to you, so why do you always have to call me names?" I asked him. I stumbled over to where he was, shoving a finger into his face. He took a wary step back, probably because I didn't know how to judge the distance that well at the moment between my finger and his face. In fact, I'm pretty sure I almost got his eyeball.

"Hig—Kagome, let's go now," Hojou said, trying to placate me by putting a hand on the small of my back to steer me away from the area. The motion made me arch away from his hand and into Inuyasha, my hands going to Inuyasha's shoulders as I fought to get away from Hojou's touch.

It's not that Hojou's disgusting or anything. I just got surprised. I had forgotten that Hojou was there.

Immediately jumping off of Inuyasha, I turned around to glare at Hojou. At his alarmed look, I softened. It's not like he meant to startle me. As my anger faded, some of my sense returned.

"Hojou, you can go home." I dug into my purse. "Here's some money for the subway fare. I'm sorry for dragging you with me. Thank you for being my date."

God I was so drunk, but in order for him to leave me alone, I had to act sober. I looked straight into his eyes as he looked doubtfully back at me.

"I won't leave unless I'm 100 sober or have someone to drive back for me. I can probably get one of Sango's Dad's people to do it," I reassured. This seemed to do the trick. Hojou was unwilling to stay there any longer than was necessary.

"All right then, Higurashi. I'll see you at school."

"Yeah. See you," I slurred a bit, one of my eyes closing because it was bleary. When he looked back at me, however, I straightened immediately, smiled, and waved. He threw me a relieved smile and left.

I slumped down into a random chair, and grabbed another wine (Or champagne?!) glass. Just as I was about to tip it to my mouth, a hand grabbed it and set it on the table that I was sitting at.

"What the—"

"I think you've had enough. Besides, aren't you going to keep your promise to your boyfriend?" Inuyasha asked, looking at me with (It couldn't be!) concern in his eyes. What pretty eyes…

"He's not my boyfriend," I mumbled as I reached for the wineglass. "I must be an alcoholic," I sighed as I managed to grab the glass on the table. Inuyasha pried my fingers from it and set it even farther away. I whimpered the whole time.

"If he's not your boyfriend, what is he," he asked, distracting me.

"Um… He's a guy that liked me… a lot… Although after today probably not at all. I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to him today." I giggled. I think a bit insanely. Oh wait, no, drunkenly.

"Here, let's get you some food," Inuyasha said, and summoned a waiter. As he spoke to him, I stared at him suspiciously. He saw my stare and lifted a lip in a snarl. "What the hell are you staring at?"

"I think you're being too nice to me. Aren't you supposed to be insulting me right now?" I asked.

Inuyasha sat back, crossed his arms and 'Keh'ed. "You're too easy of a target right now. I like my victims to fight back."

I chuckled. I could appreciate a good fight. I've been in enough verbal spars with Souta to know a good fight when I was in one.

Speaking of sparring…

"Hey, where's Sango?" I asked, frowning. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Hobo told you, remember? She left with Miroku. I think they snuck out, those bastards. Although I don't know how with the amount of security in this place," Inuyasha stated. I was too busy trying to keep up with his comments to correct him about Hojou's name.

"Oh," I said when I finally registered everything he said. "So…Where's Miroku?"

Inuyasha gave a long-suffering sigh.

* * *

"Oy, you still drunk or something? I have better things to do than to take care of you, you know," Inuyasha said dryly, still sitting next to me while I mechanically ate what he ordered. 

"Ugh. I'm still tipsy. I can't drive yet," I murmured.

"Why don't I just drive you?" he asked. "I didn't drive my own car, and I'm completely sober."

"And let you find out where I live?" I snorted. "Fat chance."

Inuyasha spread his hands as if saying, "Okay, that's your choice." I sighed. I really shouldn't be driving with any alcohol in my system.

"Maybe if I still can't drive in thirty minutes—"

"I'll give you five minutes," he interrupted.

"Five minutes?! Twenty at the very least!" I argued.

"Ten minutes!" He bargained.

"Fifteen!" I instantly replied. He paused. Shook his head.

"Ten!"

Impatient, no-good, stupid, rude—

"Okay, fine! Ten!"

Ten minutes later, I'm sorry to say I was even more drunk due to some high school friends who insisted on taking shots with them. Even Inuyasha was no match for them. I was basically dragged to the bar by them, and shots were literally poured down my throat, even as my protests were quite literally (again, literally) drowned.

I am not proud to say Inuyasha had to carry me out of the place. In fact, I am rather embarrassed to have to say that. I am also embarrassed to say that I was singing Kelly Clarkson. Loudly.

_Very _loudly. Oh the shame.

After this point, I can't say I remember what happened next.

* * *

**wk**: Poor drunk Kagome. What WILL happen next? Read and Review! Hope you guys liked this chapter. It was fun to write. :) 


	3. May Impair Judgment

**wk**: AHH!! I updated! Can you believe it?? Sorry guys. I'm not dead, I'm not hurt, I'm not giving up on the fics, I'm not doing anything of that sort. So rest your frazzled hearts! :)

I am actually trying very hard to catch up in my school work, because I have not been doing too well. My dream was to go to grad school, but I don't think that is possible with the GPA I have right now. . Perhaps in the future I can work on it some more. But anyways, that's the reason for my absence, but now that my grades are looking a little better, I am concentrating on writing a little more again. Thanks for sticking with me thus far, guys! :)

**Chapter Two  
May Impair Judgment**

I woke up with the speed of a turtle lollygagging in mud. Meaning, slowly. I tried to pry my eyelids apart, but the pounding in my temples, the nausea in my belly, as well as brightness I could tell was on the other side of my eyelids forced me to reconsider.

"You going to sleep on my floor all day?" The harsh voice rasped across my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I nearly screamed.

"Do you have to talk so loud?" I croaked, my arm going across my eyes. My stomach rolled.

He just snorted. "Look, you can lie on my floor all day long, but I need to go soon. I have classes, you know."

Shoot, so did I. I cautiously moved my arm and blinked one eye open. I looked around. "I'm in your apartment."

Inuyasha snorted again. "Trust you to not ask the conventional 'Where am I?'"

I looked up at him. He was sitting on his bed, his legs crossed.

He was shirtless. Normally, I would appreciate this. Appreciate his tan skin, his dark hair against it, his six pack, toned muscles… Okay, so I guess I could appreciate it. But my stomach rolled, and I sat up slowly, groaning.

"Bathroom… Where is it?" I asked. He pointed, and I staggered towards it. He didn't ask if I needed any help, which I was grateful for. I went inside, locked it, and promptly threw up into the toilet. I felt a little better, but it was marginal at best. Groaning, I leaned against the seat and weakly flushed the toilet.

Something cold was pressed against my cheek, and I jumped. Inuyasha had brought me a cold bottled water.

I snatched the bottle gulped down nearly half of it. Then threw up again. Then sipped more carefully at the bottle. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall, watching me.

I weakly leaned against his toilet again. "Well… This is embarrassing," I managed.

Inuyasha's lip lifted in a sneer. "I see shit like this all the time at parties."

My hand paused on its way of taking another sip.

"Parties?" I asked.

"Yeah… You know, where college kids come together to get wasted and have orgies and—"

"Yeah, yeah… I know what a party is…" I paused. I was supposed to become more extroverted, right? Have fun during my college life, right? It was still embarrassing to ask… "Can you take me to a party?"

Inuyasha stared at me. "What?" he asked.

"You know, take me to a—"

"I heard you," he snapped. "What the hell do you need me to take you to a party for?"

I felt the heat fill my cheeks. "Um, because I want to grow a social life."

"What?" Inuyasha repeated blankly.

"I want to—"

"I said I heard you!" he snapped again.

"Then stop asking 'What'!" I snapped right back. I glared at him. He merely stared right back at me. Uncomfortable, I looked away first, taking a tentative sip from my bottle.

"Have you never gone to a party before? I thought you were a sophomore?" Inuyasha asked.

I blushed again. "Technically, I'm a freshman in that this is my first actual year in college. I just came in with enough credits to be considered a sophomore." Geez. I feel like he had asked, "Define: Nerd."

Inuyasha continued to stare at me for a while, and the entire time I avoided eye contact. Then, suddenly, he grinned and said, "So you want to meet a man."

I bristled. "What's wrong with that?"

"I'm not sure your type would be at a party. Don't you think you should date like… a professor's assistant or something?" He asked, his grin turning back into a sneer.

"I'm not a total nerd like that!" I shrieked. "I mean, sure, if I felt chemistry with someone like that—"

"Let me guess. You're looking for your knight in shining armor, in bad boy form," Inuyasha teased. I knew he was teasing. I know it. But I took the bait.

"So what's wrong with that?!" I snapped. "It's not like I've ever—" I quickly stopped myself, but too late.

Inuyasha stared at me. "You've never—Oh, geez. You've never even dated, have you?" He settled himself on the lip of the bathtub, sitting down and laughing at me.

I could feel my face flush with embarrassment. "So?!"

"So you think you're going to meet the man of your dreams there. Maybe you'll get harassed by a bunch of guys, and this one bad boy, who is in charge of everything, will come by, stop everything, and somehow declare you his woman." He slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course. Why _wouldn't _that happen?"

"You can laugh all you want, but that's how I'm going to meet my dream man!" I practically snarled.

Inuyasha laughed. "I didn't expect you to admit to it so readily," he admitted. He grinned at me. "Life isn't a romance novel. But all right. I'll take you to a party. In fact, there's one tomorrow night. This should be interesting. Who would have ever thought you'd be as innocent as a lamb?"

"Did you think I was a slut or something?" I griped. I finally stood, went to his sink and rinsed out my mouth. I took some of his toothpaste, put it on my finger, and rubbed my teeth in a manner related to brushing my teeth.

"I have an extra toothbrush. The blue on in the toothbrush holder," Inuyasha pointed out. I took the toothbrush, and brushed my teeth.

"Thanks," I said, wiping my mouth. I froze when I looked at myself in the mirror though. "Inuyasha," I said slowly, "I'm wearing your clothes."

He smirked. "Again, trust you not to say, 'Who's clothes are these?'"

"Where are my clothes? And who changed me? Did you—" I stared at him in horror.

"I didn't change you. I gave you the clothes and you changed yourself. My boxers being backwards on you should give you enough clue about that."

"Your… boxers?!" I looked down, horrified. Technically, I was wearing his underwear. I groaned. If I wore anyone's boxers, I had always dreamed it would have been my boyfriend's.

"Yeah. I didn't have any other clean shorts, so I just gave you a clean pair of boxers since you didn't want pants."

"Oh… Then where's my dress?" I asked.

"I put it in a bag for you. You probably don't want to open it."

"Why not?" I asked, alarmed. I had just bought that dress. Hopefully, it was still all right.

"Since you threw up on yourself. It probably stinks."

I blushed again. Would I ever stop embarrassing myself in front of him?

We walked out of the bathroom, and he threw the plastic bag with my dress in it at me. I caught it against my chest.

"Um… Do you mind if… I, uh…"

"You can borrow my clothes," he said with a smirk. I sighed in relief. I went back into the bathroom, and corrected his boxers, then stared at the door. I could have sworn I had locked the door, but he had still come in—I looked at the door knob, and saw that you could open it from the other side, if you had fingernails. It was a simple, easy-to-break-in lock.

I looked at the clock when I left the room, and blinked. It was early in the morning.

"Didn't you say you had to go to class? Why don't I make you breakfast, then drop you off?" I offered. "You drove my car here, right?"

Inuyasha seemed to consider my offer, then shrugged and said, "All right."

I went into his kitchen and dug around for something to make. I could automatically tell that this was indeed a single male's apartment. His refrigerator consisted of a few eggs, two slices of cheese, some dark substance molding in the back of one of his shelves (I threw this away, although I think it might have bit me in the process), one semi-fresh tomato, some sandwich meat, and some bananas. He also had a few slices of bread, and of course, Chef Boyardee seemed to inhabit his pantry. I winced. I took the contents from the fridge, sliced, diced, heated, cooked, flipped, and melted, and voila! I had made two decent-sized omelets. Whistling, I placed them on the table, and toasted some bread and buttered them.

I didn't have to say the food was ready. Inuyasha was already at the table, practically inhaling the food. I placed the toast next to him, and his slice was engulfed. Geez. Hungry much? When he was done, he let out a sigh, a satisfied smile on his mouth. I blinked. With such a nice smile on his face, he almost looked…

Oops. Thoughts were derailed forcefully. That train of thought will always end up on a one-way track to a crash.

Thirsty, I went back to his fridge. Frowning, I looked on his shelves and found nothing but soda.

"Where'd you get that bottled water?" I asked.

"I gave the last one to you."

"Oh." I sighed. I hated sodas. "You should keep Orange Peach Mango juice here, if you don't like drinking water. That's the best juice ever," I said. I reluctantly took a Sprite, got him a Coke.

"All right. Let's get you to your class."

In the car, as he gave me directions, we surprisingly found out we go to the same school. And that we had one class together. It was a lecture hall, and there were nearly three hundred students in the class, which might be why we never noticed each other.

Strange.

I dropped him off at his class, and went back to my own apartment. One of my roommates , also my co-bridesmaids, were already awake, and she stared at me. Then, a humongous grin broke out on her face.

"Guys, wake up! It's a good thing we left Kagome at the wedding, because Kagome's not a virgin anymore!"

I groaned.

* * *

"So you're telling me that you showed up here, wearing nothing but boy's clothes—another man's boxers included—and you didn't _do _anything? Yeah. Right." Ayumi stuck out a leg. "Why don't you try pulling this one too?"

"I'm serious!" I yelled, rushing about and dressing so I wouldn't be late for class. I quickly grabbed my keys and my sunglasses.

"Then how do you explain those clothes?"

"Sango's friend's clothes! I got wasted and threw up on my own dress!" I explained hurriedly, then ran out, ignoring their huffs of disbelief. Well, if they doubted me, I could always open the plastic bag and dump the contents onto the floor. But then they'd make me clean it.

I hopped into my car, and drove off to campus. I got through my classes without falling asleep, but I nodded off a few times. When I got to the class I had with Inuyasha, I simply couldn't lift my head to look for him before class. Geez, getting drunk and having a hangover all day really killed any kind of want for productivity within me.

I only lifted my head when I heard the professor start speaking. Yawning, I tried to write decent notes, but they came out to be illegible scribbles. I found myself nodding off, and couldn't care about the stares I was being given by fellow classmates. I rested my head on the back of my seat, slouching a little, and fell asleep. I didn't notice that my pencil slipped out of my grasp and rolled away somewhere, where someone else picked it up.

I was mortified when I awoke, and couldn't find my pencil. I was even more mortified to see that my head had slumped over onto the desk, and I had drooled in my sleep. Gross! I tried to ignore the rest of my classmates that had been sitting around me. Packing up my book bag, I walked dejectedly out of the classroom.

I didn't realized I had passed Inuyasha until his hand came down on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Yo, Lamb Chops." He held up my pencil that I had lost. "Rolled under my foot during the lesson."

"Oh! My pencil! Thanks!" I gushed. It was my favorite pencil. I reached out my hand for it, but noticed that the pencil seemed to move further away. "Uh…" I reached for it again, and again it danced out of reach. "Can I have my pencil back?" I snapped.

"Maybe. Maybe not. See you tonight, Lamb Chops," he said, his mocking sneer making my hackles raise. I puffed out my cheeks in anger before running after him.

"Hey! Stop calling me lamb chops!" I ignored the stares of a few innocent civilians, trying to squeeze in a few minutes of studying in the hallway. "And you didn't even tell me where the party is or anything!"

He blinked innocently. "Oh, I didn't?" He smirked. "Fancy that."

I practically snarled at him. "You meant to _not _tell me, is that it?"

"I'm giving you a mission, Lamb Chops. Figure out the information for the party and come tonight."

"How am I supposed to—"

"It's a pretty big party. Ask around," he interrupted. He walked off again.

"Well, shoot," I pouted, kicking my shoe against the ground.

In my next and last class, I looked around nervously as more and more people came in to wait for class to begin. Did I just have to go and ask somebody? Maybe the person sitting next to me would do?

Suddenly, I understood Inuyasha's motive. By forcing me to find out for myself where the party was and everything, it forced me to talk to people, and therefore starting my social life tentatively. Clever jerk.

As clever as he was, I ended up just overhearing a conversation between two girls about an "awesome party" that would be going on tonight.

I smiled to myself as they kept talking about it, until the professor got there. They had mentioned the place and everything.

When I went back to the apartment, I did my homework (first things first), ate, and looked in despair at my closet. There was nothing "party-worthy" in my closet. I really was an old fuddy duddy. I would have to go to my roommates for help.

They helped all right. I was fussed over, turned, mussed, made up, and dressed.

"Oh, Kagome, you look so cute!" Yuka gushed.

I had no idea what I looked like. That is, until I stepped in front of a mirror.

I stared at myself, stunned beyond words. I was… pretty. Desirable. Holy cow, I was sexy.

They had done something to my face to make my eyes sooty, my lips seem pouty. My hair was put up into a sort of loose bun that had tendrils of hair coming down to frame my face. I was also in a shirt that they had deemed it to be a dress instead. It was short, and I felt self-conscious, but they told me that it was the fashion these days. The shirt/dress was cinched off at my waist by a belt, which my earrings matched.

"Oh my God… Where did you guys learn how to do this?" I shrieked, my hands going over my slim figure. Yep, definitely sexy. The heels they had given me made my legs seem miles longer, and my thighs slimmer. Thank goodness.

"You know, you pick up a few things as you go along," Eri said, grinning and holding a brush.

"Thanks you guys," I simpered. I fussed over myself in front of the mirror for a few more minutes, unable to stop myself. I looked so different!

When I was done and turned around, I realized I had been self-absorbed in the mirror for a long time because all of my roommates were dressed in cute, "going out" outfits as well.

"Ah… Did I miss something?" I asked.

"Did you think you were the only one that was going to go to this party? I wouldn't miss this party for the world!" said the self-proclaimed party girl, Yuka.

"That's right, that's right," Ayumi agreed, adding an extra coat of lip gloss.

"And, since this is kind of your first party that you'll be going to, we'll have to protect your innocence from bad old perverted guys!" Eri affirmed with a strike of the brush (which she was still holding) against her palm.

"And, you get to be DD for us," Yuka said slyly. "That's the price for the clothes!"

I gaped at her. I actually had no problem with being designated driver for them, since just thinking about alcohol made me queasy, but I should have guessed that Yuka had an ulterior motive in mind… Sighing, I shrugged. Yuka grinned.

"Great! Let's get going then! I want to see all the cute guys there. You know ever since I broke up with—"

"All right, let's go," I interrupted. Once you got Yuka on the subject of boys, there was no stopping her.

The car ride there was fun, since Yuka insisted on cranking up the music and dancing in the car. I joined in on singing the lyrics, belting them out as we got closer to the house party.

When we got there, I found a problem. "Where do I park…?"

"You see the line of cars parked along the curb?" Eri pointed out. "You should go all the way to the back and park behind the last car."

"I have to parallel park? Shoot, I hate parallel parking," I mumbled.

"So, Ayumi, are you going to drink tonight?" Yuka asked Ayumi excitedly. Ayumi smiled serenely.

"No, I don't think so. I don't feel like getting drunk. And I have an exam next week…"

"Ah, that's next week!" Yuka blew it off. "You'll drink with me tonight!"

We all knew if Ayumi didn't want to drink, she wouldn't drink. In fact, she might make _me _drink and she would drive us home. Well, bully to that! I didn't want to drink a single drop of alcohol.

Once I had parked, we walked (I wobbled on my new heels) to the house. Once we got close, I could hear the bass of a stereo system booming. When the door opened, heat assailed me, making me almost choke on it, and I was shoved inside by my roommates. I didn't even have room to stumble, as I ran into someone else immediately. It was a girl carrying a drink. Thankfully, she was already drunk, so she didn't even notice she had spilled half her drink over someone else.

This was not my image of a party. It was hot, I couldn't breathe, and there was a mass of writhing bodies. And I couldn't find my roommates. So much for "guarding my innocence."

I shoved and pushed my way over to the kitchen, which had transformed into a temporary bar.

"Is there water here?" I asked, sweat already forming on my body.

The guy acting as bartender laughed out loud at that. "This is a party, lady! Not a restaurant!"

I blushed, and immediately fled. Well. He didn't have to be so caustic about not having any water, that jerk.

As I fled, I bumped into a guy's back, and he turned around. He had long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and crystal clear blue eyes. He was attractive, and I found myself perusing him. Just like he was perusing me. I wasn't used to getting checked out, so I immediately stiffened, but didn't say a word when he didn't lift his eyes to mine for a while.

"Well, hello!" he yelled over the volume of the music.

"Hi!" I yelled back. "I'm Kagome!"

"Kouga!" he answered. He grinned. "Wanna dance?"

I gaped up at him. Well, this was a first. I found myself nodding stupidly. He took my hand, leading me through the throng of people to a dark living room with flashing lights (the dance floor?).

It was hotter in here. I found myself panting as he pulled me (with some shoving on his part) to near the middle of the dance floor. I never danced before, so I had no idea what to do, but someone behind me forcefully shoved themselves into me, making me fly into Kouga's arms.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling my arms behind his neck. My fingers grasped onto the back of his neck, and—

Oh my God. _This _was dancing? He began to grind into me, his face very close to mine. I blinked. How was I supposed to move my body? I looked over at the girl who was next to me, to get a clue. She was facing _away _from the guy, her butt right up against his—

Oh my. So, this was _advanced _dancing. I blushed. I don't think I was ready for _that_. I looked the other way, and saw a milder version of dancing. She was facing her partner like me, and she was just rolling her body into him, swaying from side to side occasionally. Okay, I could do that.

"What's the matter, Kagome," he asked into my ear, and I'm pretty sure his mouth was brushing my ear on purpose. It was an interesting sensation, and I found myself leaning towards his ear.

"Sorry. Just needed to figure out something."

He chuckled, his hands at my waist. His thumbs moved up and down, spreading more warmth. My body was starting to get sticky with sweat, but I figured it was normal for that to happen. Anyone dancing in this head would definitely get sweaty and hot. After a few minutes of dancing, his hand moved upwards to one of my hands behind his neck, and he grabbed it. Using a surprising amount of force, he used the hand to turn me around, and his other hand shoved at my back to bend me over.

Uh-oh. _Advanced _dancing.

I found myself instinctively fighting the force of his hand. I slipped away from his grasp (which wasn't easy to do with the amount of bodies around me), and I found myself staring at his astonished stare.

"Ah, sorry. I'm thirsty!" I blurted out before shoving people away from me to get to a random door. I saw a door near the back, and I lunged for it, going outside. The temperature difference made me stop, and I gulped in the cool air.

I can't believe I instinctively moved away from him like that! If bending over like that was how girls of today danced, then I should join the present! Enough of being a nerd!

But having him push at me like that was disconcerting. Were girls manhandled when dancing? Guys liked that?

I blushed. Of course guys liked that.

"Hey there, cutie." Some guy sidled up next to me, grinning. Was this my chance to redeem myself?

"Hi," I said cautiously.

"Here, have a drink," he said, handing me a red cup. "You look hot."

"Ah, yeah. I am pretty warm." But I remembered I was the designated driver. "What is this?"

"Lemonade," he said, grinning.

"Oh, I see. Thanks," I said, smiling back at him. I was about to drink it when my wandering eyes landed on a familiar figure. The black-haired jerk that had told me to come to this specific party. He was against the wall, one foot propped against it. He would have looked cool, but a girl was standing in between his legs, making out with him. The cup paused on the way to my lips, and I watched them curiously. There was a gripping sensation in my belly, and my heart felt like it was being pricked. I don't think I liked the sensation.

"Ah, you know that guy?" the guy standing next to me asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"Oh, yeah. He's a classmate," I said, smiling at him. "What's your name?" I asked, still holding the cup.

"My name's Genji." He grinned. "Wanna dance?"

I smiled back at him. "Maybe a little later. I'm still tired. I'll drink this lemonade first, okay?" I took a few gulps, and frowned. "It tastes funny."

His grin seemed to turn a little more malicious, but I thought it was my imagination.

How wrong I was.

* * *

**wk: **I updated!! YAYY!! :D This might not be the story that you wanted to see an update to, but this is the story that my imagination seems to be stuck on right now. I apologize for taking so long to update. Hopefully, next time, it won't take as long.

Have you guys missed me? :P

I'll try to update faster!!


	4. Memory Loss

**wk**: .... Uh... So yeah... it's been a while guys. I honestly have no excuses other than school, writer's block, school, school, life... But here's (finally) an update! YAY!!!!! I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long. I'll try not to let it happen again. Thanks to those who are still reading the story, and are still awaiting my next installment. I will try not to disappoint you guys again!

Special thanks to **Menaii** for providing my last chapter with a hilarious visual of what happened at the end of the chapter. It is _so_ cute and funny! You guys can see it at http : // menaii . live journal . com / 5802 . html minus the spaces, of course. Go look at it!

Also, one mistake that I've found recently is that my chapters are numbered wrong. The first chapter was a prologue, or a teaser of sorts, the second chapter is the first chapter, and the third chapter is the second chapter... You get the idea. Therefore, although this is the fourth installment, this is chapter three!

Anyways, I think I kept you guys waiting long enough... So on with the story!

**Chapter Three  
Memory Loss**

I slowly awoke, blinking my eyes open. Urgh. My stomach rolled, and I knew I was going to explode. I stared blearily at the clock beside my bed, and realized that I wasn't in my bed. This wasn't my room.

I knew whose room I was in.

Remembering where the bathroom was, I bolted for it, barely making it in time. I retched miserably, and laid my head on the seat, laboriously making sure my hair wasn't going into the toilet first. What the hell was I doing in Inuyasha's apartment-- _again_?

Inuyasha was there, again, shirtless, again, and holding out a drink for me, again. The only difference was that he looked like he had just woken up, and was yawning, and the drink was a cup of juice.

"I ran out of water, remember?" he replied when I asked.

I groaned and reached out my hand to take the cup from him. I had to quickly twist my body back around to keep myself from throwing up on his feet. Inuyasha left me-- to go back to sleep, I imagine.

When I was sure I was done retching, I crawled back into the bedroom. I would have crawled back into the bed, but I was much too exhausted. I decided the carpet was good enough, but the only problem was that I was cold.

I looked at the crack in his curtains, and realized it was still dark out. I saw my purse, and gallantly crawled towards it.

When I opened my phone, I saw that I had almost twenty missed calls. I flipped it open to see that my roommates had all been trying to reach me. None of them picked up except Ayumi.

"Kagome! Where are you? Are you all right? We were debating on whether or not to call the cops! But then a missing person's report can't be filled out until twenty-four hours have passed, and... Oh, are you all right?" She asked hurriedly.

"I would say that I feel nauseous, but I don't think I have anything left in me to throw up."

"What happened to you?"

"Uh... I don't know, honestly. I just remember this guy giving me lemonade..." I sighed. "I drank a couple of cups."

"Are you _insane_?" Ayumi's voice blasted over the phone, made me wince and hold the phone away from my ear and throbbing head for a little bit. "That's the strongest drink that was there! It was mixed with _Everclear_!"

"What does that mean?" I asked intelligently. I collapsed back on the carpet, my arm going over my eyes to cover them.

"It means, you had the strongest liquor that was there! You just starting to drink and probably having a low tolerance, not to mention the amount that was probably mixed into a cup of lemonade! How many cups did you _have_?"

I groaned. "Four... I think. I just remember not wanting to dance with Genji, so I kept drinking the lemonade as an excuse not to go out on the dance floor... Can we not talk about alcohol right now?"

"Well, where are you?" she asked.

I groaned again. "I'm at that guy's place again."

There was a moment of silence. "Kagome, are you naked?"

"No!" I immediately regretted yelling, as I winced at the responding throb in my head.

There was relieved breath. "Well, come home after classes. I think the other two will want to grill you over a pit of hellfire."

"Makes me wanna go back so bad," I muttered sarcastically. I felt nausea steadily rise in me again. "Look, Ayumi, I gotta go again. I'll see you later today, I guess." I quickly hung up and stumbled my way to the toilet again. I retched into the toilet, and was disgusted to see the mucus come up. I didn't know if it was just stomach acid or what was coming up, but it wasn't alcohol anymore. I had gotten rid of all that. Rather than even going back into the room, I forced myself up to the sink, and brushed my teeth with the spare toothbrush that Inuyasha had neglectfully not thrown away (thank goodness). When I was done, I just sat back on the ground, and leaned against the sink, staring at the toilet and debating on whether or not I had to throw up again.

A few minutes later (I think), I woke up to feel Inuyasha's arms picking me up into a fireman's lift, and I had no strength to argue. I merely said, "I'm fine," but immediately subsided when he didn't answer. I was deposited into the bed, and I wriggled under the covers tiredly. Inuyasha got into his bed on the other side, giving a grunt of impatience and frustration as he yanked some of his covers back.

I was too tired to yank it back, so I merely followed the blankets, rolling under the covers slightly to ensure that my body was covered. Feeling at ease, I drifted off into exhausted sleep easily.

* * *

"Aren't you going to go to classes?" Inuyasha asked that morning, rushing around his room and getting dressed after his shower. I nearly twitched with annoyance. Why was he talking _so loud?_ I shook my head, burrowing underneath his blankets further. I didn't see Inuyasha roll his eyes.

This was the second time in a row that I had woken up in his room. I had woken up in the crook of his body, with his arm underneath my head, but I didn't care. I was much too exhausted and hungover to care. Besides, he was warm. His heat was all encompassing, and wrapped around me like another blanket.

I felt more than heard him wake up. I felt the muscles underneath my head shift slightly, before there was a surprised pause, and then he yanked his arm from underneath me. I grimaced and groaned, but otherwise stayed the way I was. I thought he would say something to me, but there was suddenly a loud "Fuck!" and a flurry of motion was heard. I guess he was late to class. Then he had asked me if I was going to classes. Ha! I would die if I went. Either that, or I would murder someone.

"All right. Help yourself to whatever. I won't be back until after classes." Inuyasha left.

I slid back into sleep.

* * *

When I woke up again, it was close to noon. I figured I should go to class, but then realized I had no ride. I shrugged to myself. I had kept a good record, and wasn't worried about my absences. For most of my classes, this was my first absence. Besides, nothing really important was happening in any of my classes today.

First things first, I had to change. I blushed when I thought about how I had slept with him in my short dress. Which had ridden up in the bed. And I had been pressed against him. Oh, Lord. I hope he hadn't noticed. I dug around in his closet and found some sweatpants. I had to yank the drawstring tighter so that they wouldn't fall off (immediately), and found one of his t-shirts.

I puttered around his kitchen, and stared at what I came up with. All he had were two eggs, seven slices of (hopefully not moldy) bread, and a few slices of ham. He had a few condiments, but that was all. When I opened the pantry, I thought I had struck gold. Well, gold if you _loved _ramen.

"Oh. My. Goodness." I stared at the massive amounts he had in storage. I quickly shut it, feeling like I had seen something bad. Was it healthy to even _own _that much ramen?

I resorted to egg and ham salad sandwiches, and sat on his couch and turned on the TV to eat. Inuyasha must have been loaded. To have this entire apartment to himself so close to campus must cost a fortune. I sighed wistfully. No roommates to bother you, a solitary environment to study, a--

The door opened, and Inuyasha walked through, throwing his bookbag into a corner and pausing when he saw me. Apparently, he forgot that I was here.

"I see you helped yourself to my closet," Inuyasha muttered, sitting down on the couch next to me and snagging a sandwich.

"It was either that or what I had before," I answered. I changed the subject. "Tell me, do you love ramen, or is it a matter of self-preservation to stock up on cheap food in case your meager food supply runs out?"

Inuyasha shrugged, grabbed the remote and started changing the channels. "It's cheap, and there when I'm hungry."

"How can you even care about cheap when you live in a place like this?" I asked. "You're apparently not lagging in the money area."

"My old man pays for this. I pay for everything else myself."

"Really? Where do you work?"

"Nunya."

"Well, that's not nice."

"No, the place is really called Nunya. The boss thought it was a clever idea for people who wanted an escape. 'Hey where are you going?' and if the person wants privacy, 'Nunya.'" Inuyasha continued to change channels, frowning at the limited variety of things to watch.

"That's... actually clever. So what _is _Nunya?" I asked.

Inuyasha shrugged, smirked. "Nunya."

I glared at him, but did not push for information. Instead I changed the subject.

"So what happened last night? I don't remember anything." I closed my eyes tightly, trying to remember anything from last night.

"Shouldn't you have asked this _first_?" Inuyasha asked. I shrugged.

"Just tell me, will you?" I grumbled. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and propped his feet onto his coffee table.

"Well, this kid got you drunk off the lemonade. Your friends weren't around, and I looked over and saw that he was uh... trying to drag you into the house. Probably to go into an empty bedroom."

I gasped. That kid-- Genji-- was trying to take advantage of me?

"So I followed," Inuyasha continued, "and I was right. He was trying to drag you into a bedroom, telling people that he was just going to lay you down. I knew better." I looked at him with wide eyes. Did this sort of thing happen around him all the time?

"I tried to find your friends, but they weren't around. I was actually just gonna leave you there, since you weren't my problem--"

"Thanks, thanks a lot, Inuyasha," I muttered. He ignored me and continued.

"You started screaming in the bedroom. The music was loud, so not a lot of people heard you, but I happen to have good ears. I uh... opened the door." I scoffed. The brute had probably kicked it down. "He was practically raping you, and had you almost naked." He paused. "He shouldn't be bothering you anymore. As a matter of fact, I'll be surprised if he bothers _any _girl after that."

I had flashes of memory, of the guy being pummeled, as I stared dazedly. I also remembered relaxing from my panic, when I saw Inuyasha. I shook my head at myself. I should have been _more _in a tizzy, not relaxing when one male came to replace the other!

"After _what_?" I asked, curious to know the gory details. Inuyasha looked at me strangely, and shook his head.

"Just don't worry about him anymore. In the future, you should be careful about what you drink."

"So what happened after that?" I asked. I had memories—impressions, really-- of Inuyasha gently dressing me again, and picking me up and leaving the room. And then something happened, something monumental... Inuyasha was silent a moment, as if he was brooding. He suddenly got up, and stalked off to the bathroom.

When he came back, he sat down again, took up the remote control again. "I brought you back here, and we went to sleep together—_Not _like that!" he growled. I held up my hands in an appeasing manner.

"I never thought we did, champ." It was interesting to see Inuyasha so flustered. What had happened to have him so on edge around me when on the subject? Then my eyes narrowed. "Didn't you drink too?"

"I was only tipsy. I tried to find your friends, but they were all either drunk, or I couldn't find them. So then I just brought you back." Inuyasha glanced up at his clock, and scowled. "Listen, I'll take you home now. I have to go to work soon, anyway."

I nodded. "Hey, I know I still have your clothes from last time, but--"

"Go ahead and borrow those clothes." Inuyasha stood, grabbed his keys from the table, and waited for me while I gathered up my clothes in a plastic bag.

He took me back to my apartment, and when I walked in, it was almost exactly the same as last time. Ayumi was sitting on a chair at the table, reading the comics section of the newspaper. She looked up when I came in, and her smile of relief quickly morphed into one of astonishment.

"What. Is. _That_?!" She shrieked, pointing at my neck.

"Huh? What's what?" I grabbed my neck, and she shook her head.

"Other side!"

I ran into my room, and the connecting bathroom. I looked at my neck, and my eyes bulged.

It was a hickey. A bright red hickey.

Oh. My. God.

* * *

My face was flaming as the rest of my roommates all chattered around me, poking at my hickey and me waving them away like annoying flies. They were gushing about how I had lost my virginity to "that hot guy." It didn't seem to matter how many times I told them that I was still a virgin. The fact that I had a hickey and that I was wearing his clothes seemed to be good enough. I had even tried to convince them that the hickey probably came from Genji (which, it probably did).

The more they talked, poked, and prodded, the angrier I got. How _dare _Inuyasha not tell me something so important! I waved off my roommates, and went into my room, locking the door. Yuka pounded on my door, growling about how she wanted more details. I ignored her and went to take a shower. I perused my naked body in the mirror while the water turned warm. I had more hickeys where the eyes couldn't see, one on the top of my breast (Oh, my dear Lord. What had I _done_?), and one on the inside of my elbow.

What pissed me off even more was that I couldn't remember any of this...! I was pretty damn sure I was still a virgin though. If Genji had gotten far enough to put a hickey on my chest, then I was going to go find him, and kill him.

I jumped into the shower, scrubbing my body down. I turned the water scalding hot, wishing away any Genji germs that might still be left on my body.

After I had dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I picked up my car keys.

Time to go interrogate Inuyasha.

* * *

It took me a while to find the place. I had asked my roommates about "Nunya" and only Yuka knew what it was.

"It's like a bar/restaurant. It's a pretty relaxing place. Inuyasha works there? I heard it's a pretty classy place."

I had then been forced by my overeager roommates into a black cocktail dress, and a hairdo that I would feel too bad ruining. Then of course, I had to torture myself in a pair of heels that would make my legs look longer, but would make me walk crippled for the next couple of days. Not to mention I had to invent ways to walk in the tube of cloth they told me was the dress. My thighs were together, and I couldn't walk normally.

"You have to look nice for the guy you lost your virginity to!" Eri gushed, while painfully brushing back my hair. I was going to reply that my virginity was still intact, but what was the point? Besides, my teeth were clenched shut.

"You know, you have to make sure he knows now that he has to treat you right! And what better way than to look the part of a hottie!" Yuka exclaimed as she forced my foot into a torture device.

"You have to make sure that he understands where he and you both stand in your relationship," Ayumi said wisely, patting down my skintight dress.

"I didn't lose my virginity to him!" I finally exclaimed, my face red as a tomato from both frustration and embarrassment. "And I don't want to dress myself up for him!"

"Honey, you have a hickey on your boob," Yuka said, grinning. It was another discovery that they had all made when I came out with the dress on. The low neckline definitely left little to the imagination. And little to hide. They had fixed that with a little bit of foundation. "And even if you didn't lose your virginity to him, it's nice to once in a while dress up for a man, yeah? One that gives you _hickeys_." Yuka tweaked my nose, making me even more bewildered. "Make him drool."

I scoffed as I picked up my keys that had been thrown onto the table before I had been whisked off.

I stomped down the stairs from my apartment into my car. As I was driving to the place (Yuka had given me directions), I fumed. By the time I got there, I had driven myself into such a fury that I was practically seeing red.

How _dare _that _asshole _take advantage of me! I couldn't believe it. While I was sleeping with him and thinking that he had been my savior and my hero, he had been sucking on bits and parts of me that he shouldn't have been! What the hell did I look like? Some kind of human-sized _lollipop_?

I slammed my car door shut after parking, then went to the front door. When I walked in, I immediately reigned in most of my anger. It seemed like a very respectable place, with glitter chandeliers over each table and a bar on the right side. There was also a host, smiling genially at me. "Hello there, pretty lady! What can I do for you?" He asked enthusiastically, as if serving me was his life's purpose.

"I'm... uh... here to find a friend," I muttered, my eyes still roaming around. There. He was at the bar, his long black hair tied into a low ponytail for work. "There he is!" I said, pointing a finger at him. The host looked at where I was pointing, and seemed to sneer, before his smile came back with a more malicious edge. I shifted on my heeled feet.

"Your friend? I was unaware that Inuyasha had such beautiful friends." I smiled a bit uncomfortably, since the guy was now leering at me openly.

"Uh... It seems like he's not busy, so I'm just gonna go sit at the bar." I started to move towards the bar area, and I smiled in relief when Inuyasha seemed to notice me. I jerked to a halt when a hand closed over my wrist tightly.

"My name is Hiten, if you need anything, my dear." He smiled, and I subtly tried to jerk my hand out of his grip. He let go, and I nearly stumbled. I turned around, and saw Inuyasha walking towards me with a dark look on his face. I walked towards him, suddenly nervous. But then, why should _I _be nervous?

He was the one in the wrong.

And just like that, my anger came back to me. I strode towards him more confidently, and we met near the side wall, where tables weren't gathered. Or we would have, if I hadn't tripped and fallen on my face.

The damn dress that the girls had made me wear came down to the top of my knees, but were so tight around my legs that I had to walk funny. Of course, combined with wearing heels that could puncture through someone's heart and things were... well, it was obvious how they were, with me face down on the ground, too mortified to get up. I definitely heard snickering. And the howling of laughter could only be Inuyasha. _Jerk_. My face flamed as I realized that everyone else was quiet. No doubt, staring at my misfortune.

I finally hoisted myself off the ground, using the wall as leverage, careful as to not rip the dress with my carelessness. I was easily lifted the rest of the way by Inuyasha, who was _still _chortling with amusement.

He walked me to the bar, and sat me on a chair, where I hid my face in my hands in embarrassment.

"I can't believe I just did that." I mourned my dead dignity.

Inuyasha grinned, and put a glass of ice water in front of me. I took a sip, and held the glass to my burning face. I sighed.

"So what brings you to see me here?" He asked casually, while cleaning out some glasses like a good bartender.

I thought about it. Why _was _I here? Inuyasha did something...

"_Oh!_" I exclaimed. "You took advantage of me!" Again, all eyes were on me as I pointed at Inuyasha. I—too late-- realized that the volume of my voice must have been loud.

I smacked a hand to my forehead as Inuyasha scowled.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Inuyasha growled.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," I snapped back, making sure to keep my voice a whisper as people started quietly chatting at their own tables.

Inuyasha signaled an eager looking boy over from the other side of the bar. "Cover me," Inuyasha said, not bothering to wait for compliance before he came around the bar and took me by the arm to take me through the kitchen and out the back. We were outside before I could fully protest his grip on my arm.

"Now. What are you talking about?" He asked, a frown on his face.

"I have hickeys everywhere!" I exclaimed, grateful that no one could hear me out here. "I have on my neck, one on my boob, and one on my arm!"

Inuyasha was silent a moment, then articulated, "You said boob."

Frustration mounted inside of me. "_Yes_, I said boob, you _boob_!"

He paused again. Then said, "You just called me a boob." He seemed to realize he was in dangerous waters when he saw my purple face. He hastily added, "Look, what's the problem? You're still a virgin. Besides, you were the one begging me to take your virginity last night, and it's not like I'm immune to--"

"I was _not_!" I exclaimed, sure that shock was written all over my features.

"Lamb Chops, you're not as innocent as I thought you were. You would _not _let me be last night. I had to pry you away from me. Of course, temptation is temptation and I couldn't stop myself for a few minutes. Hence, your hickeys." He paused. "I'm not that surprised you don't remember anything. You _were _pretty trashed last night."

I paused too for a second. "So none of these are from Genji, right?"

Inuyasha's lip furled to reveal a grimace of disgust. "I doubt it. I pretty much took care of that problem before it occurred." He grinned. "And you weren't so bad at fending him off. Your coordination was a bit off, so that's the only way he could get the upper hand on you." He paused for a beat. "His broken nose can be given credit to you."

"Nuh-uh," I denied instantly. I was, by nature, a non-violent person. Then again, I didn't think it was in my nature to beg anyone to take my virginity, nonetheless _Inuyasha_. Ugh. I must be subconsciously _desperate_.

"You did. And you also almost broke his pinky."

I gasped. I was going to have to apologize to Genji. After he apologized to me of course.

Shoot. It sucked being so darn _good _all the time.

"So that's all you came for? To confirm that I gave you those hickeys?" He asked. I scowled.

"Well, yeah, but why the hell are you so calm about it? You took advantage of me, and I expect you to take full responsibility!"

Inuyasha gave me a weird look. "Take full responsibility... For hickeys?"

I nodded, and crossed my arms. "Yes, of course."

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Inuyasha asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Well... That's something _you _should figure out!" I snapped.

"I would understand if you're pregnant, to take full responsibility. But for _hickeys_?" He shook his head. "This is a bit backwards, isn't it?"

I stared at him wide-eyed. "I shouldn't be pregnant, right? I swear--"

"Hold on there, Lamb Chops. You're still innocent. I didn't touch you that way. And _take advantage of you_? Ha!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, you took advantage of me," I growled.

"I did no such stupid thing. I'm a guy. I can only take so much of a girl's begging before I cave in. You're just lucky I remembered who you were and pulled back," He bit out. I stared at him in shock.

"I told you I wasn't _begging, _you _liar_!" I cried, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"Aargh!" He growled in frustration and irritation. I took a step back in response to his animalistic sound. He slammed a palm near my head, and I quickly shuffled back until my back was against the wall. I thought that the wall was probably gross, since we _were _in an alleyway, but the alternative was pressing against Inuyasha. Who was _extremely _close at the moment... Uh, he's starting to lean into--

Yikes! Was he trying to _kiss _me? My heart started galloping, and the suddenness of the blood rush left me feeling a little breathless and dizzy. Of course, this was caused by his nearness and the rush of his breath rushing past my cheek and my eyes started to close as I leaned forward in anticipation--

Yeah. Right. I don't even _know _him. Well, I don't know him _well_. Never mind that my face was flushed and my heart really _was _pounding. And never mind that I had already spent two nights in his humble abode, drunk off my ass and

I roughly shoved him away. "Don't touch me," I hissed. I jabbed at my own neck. "_You _did this, and now I am _telling _you to take responsibility. As in promising that you'll never touch me again, you _jerk_!"

He was silent a moment, probably in shock that a girl—_this _girl, thank you very much-- had been able to hold off his advances. Yeah, take that!

I was tapping my foot, my arms crossed as I stared at him, unamused. "Try to kiss me again, and I will tear off your lips and stab out your heart."

Inuyasha had a gleam in his eyes, one that seemed to say "Wanna bet?"

I tensed. I had expected him to apologize and tell me that he would never touch me again. Only villains touched unwilling girls. He seemed to lunge for me, and I tried to dodge, a small scream in my throat. He managed to grab one of my wrists and spin me around to slam into his body. A nice, hard body.

Shoot. Focus. Apparently the "Girl-brain" I had activated before still had not deactivated.

He grabbed my other hand, and held them in his own at his neck, so that I was pressed against him. I was scowling up at him, and tried to bring my knee up, but he quickly scooted back, having read my intentions in my body language. He grinned, and kept me at a good distance as I fumed.

"What's the matter, Lamb Chops? Scared?" Inuyasha asked, still grinning.

"I'm much too old to be taunted by childish taunts like _that_, you insane, perverted good-for-nothing _adolescent_!" I snapped, tugging futilely at my wrists. He brought my wrists together, and manacled them in one of his large hands. I tugged harder, thinking that his one-hand hold would be looser and easier to get out of. No, it wasn't.

His other hand came to hold my chin in place. I immediately tugged my chin out of his hold and tried to chomp on that fleshy part between thumb and index finger. He jerked his hand back and then wagged his finger at me like I was a bad puppy. I glared at him, my fingers curling to dig the nails into his hand. He seemed to feel that as he winced. His hand came up again, but instead of grabbing my chin, he stroked a finger over the hickey on my neck. I couldn't help the shiver, but I immediately steeled my suddenly-melty spine. Or tried to.

He was grinning again, encouraged by my reaction. I was very miffed by his sudden-grinny nature. Wasn't he all grumpy, scowling, no-smile McFrown before? With a new surge of energy, I shoved against his chest with my bound hands, and he let go of my hands in surprise.

"Like you said before, Inuyasha," I grit out, "lifeisn't some cheesy romance novel. And _you _are hardly my love interest." He was back to scowling. This was somehow very pleasing to me.

And then he was sighing all of a sudden. "You know, if you're so defensive all the time, you'll _never _get a boyfriend. Good or bad."

He had hit my sore spot.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously, making sure he kept his distance. He shrugged and looked at me, a sympathetic look on his face.

"If you try to beat up every guy that tries to show you a good time, you're never gonna get a man," he said.

"The first boy I beat up tried to _drug me_ and _rape me_... And I _tried _to beat _you _up without any success. And I _tried_ because you're a Class A _jerk_!"

"Listen. You're the one that came up here saying that I have to take full responsibility. Well, how about I offer you a way that is strings-free of attachment and--"

"I already know where this is going. You're going to offer to be my make-out mannequin. But then the more we make out, the more we get hot for each other, we'll have sex, and fall in love. No thanks, I'm not interested."

"Living in your little fantasy world again, I see," Inuyasha muttered. "Why don't you try it for yourself, Lamb Chops? Of course, I know you're too scared that you might beg again--"

Ooh, he sure did know how to hit all my wrong spots.

"I didn't beg," I hissed. Inuyasha smirked.

"Oh, you begged all right. 'Take me, Inuyasha!'" He squealed in a high pitched voice. I flushed bright red. There was _no way_ I said anything like that. No matter how drunk I was. He was just lying... right? "Want me to prove it?" he asked. He seemed to be enjoying this.

I glared at him warily. I knew exactly what his definition of "proving it" was. To kiss me silly.

"Why are you so hell-bent on making out with me? Do you like me?" I asked bluntly, my defense still up. His shoulders moved in a careless shrug.

"Keh, as if I would like you. I'm trying to prove my innocence of this whole thing, bitch." My hackles rose at the name-calling. If it wasn't for my indignation, I would have noticed his reddening cheeks.

"My lips would _never _go near such a barbarian like yourself _willingly_," I said scathingly. Inuyasha's own hackles seemed to rise at that.

"Well, then, let me prove it otherwise, _Kagome_." The way he said my name was clearly meant to be an insult. I didn't appreciate it.

"As if you could, _Inuyasha_," I returned in the same tone. Inuyasha crossed his arms and glowered at me.

"You're still over there, and I'm still over here," Inuyasha pointed out. "Little Lamb afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" I scowled, muttering bad things under my breath. I was about to take a step over to him, my heart pounding unusually hard, when the door opened.

"Inuyasha, you took an unofficial break, and you've been out here for a long time. I think it's about time you came back in, don't you? Especially if you want to keep this job," said a monotonous voice. The door had swung outwards, and it blocked my view of Inuyasha's boss. Although the voice had no differing tones, it was one that definitely held authority and threat. Inuyasha, however, shrugged off the threat of unemployment, and merely took my arm. I tried to yank my arm out of his grip, but he started walking. It was either start walking, or be dragged along. So I walked.

Inuyasha shut the door in his boss's face-- I saw a calm, unamused face that looked familiar, before the door had shut-- and swung me around to face him. "This isn't over, little girl. You're lucky you got saved just now. See you at the next party, _Kagome_." This time, the way he said my name made involuntary warm sensations to overtake my consciousness for a good three seconds. Then, he pulled me through the door, and I saw no signs of his boss.

He released me when we were back inside, and he walked off towards the bar. "See you later, Lamb Chops." He saluted me with a wave of the hand, without looking back at me.

"Yeah, right," I mumbled, as I angrily strode inside the restaurant after him.

* * *

**wk**: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Just to inform everyone, it _is _possible to lose your memory from excessive drinking. I know this from very personal experience. Normally, you're able to remember a chunk before, and perhaps a chunk after you start throwing up, but dear old Kagome was just passed out from beginning to end. This has also happened to me. Please do not follow my example.

Maybe I'll have Kagome remember something delicious later (Mm).

As always, thanks for your support everyone, and don't forget to look at **Menaii**'s awesome art! I can't get over how cute it is, and how accurately it depicts what I was thinking (hehe)!


	5. Making Moves

**wk**: Hey guys! Here's another update! I know that people are expecting updates for my other stories as well, but I'm kind of hitting a writer's block with them. I will try to fix this problem soon. In the meanwhile, I hope this chapter satisfies some readers! And I know that this is getting a bit romance novel-y, but that was my point. Haha, you will see later, I guess. This chapter should satisfy my readers that were hoping for more heat between Kagome and Inuyasha. I don't think I'm going to give this a thriller-like plot, but we'll see. I don't see it heading in that direction though. If you're not into mush, I suggest you stay away from this fic of mine, haha. Of course, I tried to keep injecting my blend of humor in this fic, so we'll see how it continues to pan out.

For those that are still reading-- thank you for staying with the fic! :) I greatly appreciate it!

**Chapter Four  
Making Moves**

I ended up staying at the restaurant, but stayed away from the bar. I ate a meal by myself, although the price was very expensive. I figured I was already dressed nicely and I _had _come all the way here. Near the end of my meal, I was graced with the presence of The Butthead.

I was a bit grateful, however, because at that moment, I noticed Hiten about to sidle in. I was a bit more comfortable with Inuyasha than I was with Hiten. Hiten strode by with a scowl on his face and his nose in the air.

Inuyasha was scowling as well, and he reached onto my plate to grab my fork. He shoveled some of the food into his mouth. "Hey!" I protested, reaching over to grab the fork. I sighed when he held it out of reach. I drummed my fingers on my table. "Aren't you supposed to be _working_?" I asked impatiently. He shrugged, shoveling another bite inside his mouth. "Your boss is going to chew you out again," I reminded him. "He's going to fire you." Inuyasha only replied with a disbelieving "Ha!" and went back to eating my food. "Hey now, that's _my _expensive food and you're eating all of it!" I pouted and sighed.

"You know, Nunya is a weird name for such a classy place," I said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, well, the boss wanted it that way," Inuyasha said with a shrug. He shoveled one more bite quickly before rising. "Speaking of the devil, he's giving me a threatening look. I better get back to work."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you—" He ignored me, and went back to his bartender duties. I didn't see a sign of his boss anywhere. I don't know if he poked his head out and gave Inuyasha a look, and then retreated, but I knew he wasn't out here now.

I looked at the remainder of my food sulkily. The meal had been delicious, albeit expensive, and I had been planning on enjoying each and every bite. The waiter came by, and refilled my glass. I smiled up at him. "Can I have the check please?"

"Mr. Inuyasha said that your meal is on the house tonight," he replied with a grin, and then asked, "Would you like dessert?"

"No, no thank you," I said numbly, a bit in shock. _Inuyasha _was paying? Mr. No-smile McFrown Inuyasha? Mr. I-Think-I'm-All-That-With-a-Smug-Smile?Speaking of, what was with this whole _Mr_. Inuyasha? The waiter nodded his head, and left.

I ate the rest of my food in silence, my eyes darting to where Inuyasha was amiably chatting with a woman that looked to be twice our age. Of course, she had the same gleam in her eye that I've seen plenty of college girls to have. She wanted Inuyasha as her drink. She wanted to lap him up. I snorted, and picked up my own water glass. I convinced myself that I was only looking at them because I thought the woman was gross. Didn't she have a husband somewhere or something? She leaned across the bar, grasping Inuyasha's hand, wedding band glittering in the light with a gaudy diamond the size of a chicken nugget on it. And, in a way that I'm sure she thought was discreet, she shoved bills into Inuyasha's hand. I couldn't make out the amount, but I was sitting there aghast.

Was she _propositioning _him? And was he going to _take it_? I watched with avid interest now, my eyes no longer darting between the bar and my food. I saw Inuyasha's smile (seemed a bit forced, but I _was _far away. It could have been a charming smile for all I know), and the way his hand reached across the bar to touch the woman's face. I noticed that while he was doing that, he was more discreet about returning the money. The woman pouted, but seemed to understand. She peeled some of the bills off and left it on the counter as tip before standing and leaving with a wistful glance back at the bartender.

_Yeah, in your _dreams_, lady, _I thought, sipping my water triumphantly. Inuyasha, it seemed, _did _have standards. I nearly choked on my water when Inuyasha suddenly looked over at me, his eyes smug. That _jerk_ knew that I was watching! So then maybe he would have accepted if I hadn't been--

I quickly tore my eyes from his, sitting back with a _hmph!_ I left a tip of my own, and quickly stood to leave. I had to remind myself to be careful as I wobbled precariously in my heels. I went outside, and quickly made my way to my car. Without looking back, I left.

* * *

"Holy sweet baby Jesus, don't you guys ever _rest_?" I asked my roommates when I came back to the apartment. They were fully garbed in party attire-- except Ayumi, who really wanted to study.

"You coming, party girl?" Yuka asked with a grin, her hair pinned up. She dabbed on a little lip gloss, and smacked her lips together.

"Ugh. No thanks. I've had enough partying to last me a lifetime. I'd say I made enough memories," I said, the thought of alcohol making me nearly gag.

"Your loss. But that excuse won't work for long!" Yuka sang, and she and Eri left.

"You would think she conveniently forgot that I was almost raped," I commented dryly to Ayumi, who was studying in the living room. "Hm," she absently replied, flipping a page. I rolled my eyes. I'm _so glad _my friends care _so much _about me. Why, they're practically gushing with mushy feelings.

I went into my room and changed into a comfortable set of sweatpants and t-shirt. I picked up all my discarded clothes, including Inuyasha's, and went to wash them. I had to go to a coin laundry place, because our apartments didn't supply a washing machine and a dryer. As I sat on top of a dryer, I began to read a novel that I brought with me. It was for class the next day, and I was regretfully very behind. I was halfway into it when the washing machine buzzer went off. I stuck all of the wet clothes into the dryer, and stuck a quarter in to get it started.

I was then almost done with the book, when I heard the door open. Out of curiosity, I looked up. It was a bit late to be coming to the coin laundromat. I quickly covered my face with my book, my eyes closing in hope that he didn't see me. But, of course, he did.

"Kagome!" Kouga exclaimed, putting down his basket on the dryer next to mine. _There should only be about five minutes left for my clothes to dry_, I though hopefully.

"Kouga," I said less enthusiastically, but Kouga hardly seemed to notice.

"I haven't seen you at any parties lately. There was a party tonight, but boy I'm sure glad I didn't go," He said, slanting me a look and continuing, "because then I wouldn't have bumped into you tonight."

"Yes, delightful," I agreed tightly. "I have to read for class, so..." I pointed at the cover of my book regretfully.

"She dies, and he ponders the meaning of life in the end. There, now you've read it," Kouga said, grinning. Obviously, he thought he had helped me out. I had to take deep breaths to keep my irritation at bay.

"Normally, people don't ruin the endings of things for other people," I practically growled through gritted teeth.

"But now you know what happens, and you can talk to me," Kouga replied brightly. I rolled my eyes. How I ever thought he was cute, I'll never know.

Maybe I was drunk.

"You should really think about becoming my woman," Kouga said suddenly, making the small smile I'd been attempting to give freeze.

"I'm sorry, what?" I was saved from having to answer with more than that by the ring of my phone. Relieved, I quickly picked it up, flashing Kouga an apologetic smile before walking away from him to talk on my phone in privacy.

"Who is this?" Someone slurred to me. My eyebrows snapped down in consternation, and I jerked the phone away from my ear. I stared at the number on my screen, and saw the name Eri scrawled above the number.

"Who is this?" I asked, putting the phone back to my ear.

"Keh. I asked first," He slurred some more.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing with Eri's phone?" I asked.

"She said I should talk to my girlfriend." His tone sounded as sloshed as he was. "I didn't know I _had _a girlfriend," he said after a pause. He went silent.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha!" When he wouldn't answer, I started yelling. Maybe he had passed out. But maybe something bad had happened. If he was drunk enough to pass out--

"Huh? Wha?"

"Give the phone to Eri, Inuyasha," I told him. When he obliged, I heard him drunkenly try to hit on a girl in the background. I grit my teeth again. "Eri," I said slowly, "what the hell are you thinking?"

"Calm down, Kagome! I was just giving you a moment with your cherry popper," Eri said, and I could practically see her grin. I groaned, aghast by the crudeness of her statement.

"Could you _please _not call him that? I told you _nothing _happened! Well, except the hickeys and all, but besides that--"

"I'd love to chat with you some more, but I think Yuka's ready to go back. She's looking downright trashed," Eri interrupted merrily. I sighed. Eri said an apology and hung up. Right then, I heard the buzzer of the dryer. I smiled to myself. Perfect.

I turned around, putting on an apologetic smile as I walked back to Kouga. Kouga didn't look nearly as friendly as he did before.

"Inuyasha? You're going out with _him_?"

"You know him?" I asked, blurting that out rather than, "No, I don't even like him!" I think I was more shocked that Kouga knew him. Which was weird, because _I_ would be shocked if _I _was going out with Inuyasha. I hope that makes sense.

"Yeah, I know the douche. Stupid pile of dog shit, if you ask me," Kouga said in disdain. "I can't believe you're going out with him."

"I'm not going out with him, and yes, I agree with you," I snapped back at him.

"You're not going out with--" Kouga stopped. "You agree with me that he's a douche and a pile of dog shit."

"Yes. And he's quite rude," I muttered. "Therefore, I would never date him," I declared. Kouga seemed to brighten a lot at this. I realized he took my declaration as a beneficial one for him. I hastened to gather all my laundry while Kouga seemed to puff out his chest more and preen.

I grabbed my basket, and fended off his offers to help me and to walk me back to the apartment. In the end, he ended up following me anyway, insisting that he was a gentleman. In the end I had to let him (What was I going to do-- knock him out?), and he followed me all the way back to the apartment. I said goodbye to him at the door, and he insisted that I call him should anything happen. He inserted his phone number into my phone (after snatching the phone out of my hand), and grinned, and left. I sighed, glad that I would be returning to the quite of my sanctity. At least Ayumi would just be studying.

As soon as I opened the door, I contemplated stepping back out and going somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka were all gathered around the couch, with Ayumi trying to restore order, and the rest of them swooning drunkenly and giggling, sloshing water all over the place. This wasn't the first time I had come home to this scene. However, it was the first time we had a guest. I wonder who had driven them here. Then I disapprovingly knew that one of the drunkards had driven. If one of them had been caught, it would have been over for her. Or him.

Inuyasha was sitting on the couch, leaning back against the cushions with a lazy smile. Oh, no, a _drunk_ smile. When he saw me, he frowned. Great. I bet he was as happy to see me as I was to see him. I walked inside, took off my shoes before being practically assaulted by Eri and Yuka. They took both my arms against my wishes, and dragged me towards the couch to Inuyasha.

"Guys," Ayumi tried to intervene, but Yuka went to take care of that problem. Yuka shushed Ayumi before leading her back to her chair, coaxing her and telling her that all was well. Eri, I found out, was very strong when drunk. In a matter of a few seconds, I was on the couch.

Let me amend that statement; I was on Inuyasha.

His frown had become that lazy smile again. Lazy, this time, not drunk. I saw the awareness of what was happening in his eyes. This was not something he would blame on drunkenness later, or something he would forget. My hands were on his shoulders, my eyes round with shock as I stared at his simple smile. Yuka's whoop of congratulatory excitement for the both of us startled me out of my trance.

"Shut it, Yuka!" I hissed, struggling to get out of Inuyasha's lap. "We have neighbors!" I was about to swing my leg over to get off, but his hands at my waist made me drop back down on him. He gave a groan that made a furious blush spread across my cheeks, and a blooming warmth begin to boil in the pit of my belly. I felt him, rubbing against me not-so-subtly. My cheeks were burning, but my blood was burning hotter. I didn't know why I felt so hot all of a sudden.

"Don't run away now, Lamb Chops. Not when I'm the one taking the initiative this time," He drawled.

"I'm going to go study in my room, and Yuka, Eri, you two should go to bed to sleep off all that drunk," Ayumi advised quickly, making Yuka and Eri blink at her, interrupting their staring contest at Inuyasha and me. Oh my God, this was so embarrassing. I stared at them helplessly, but even the practical, calm, Ayumi was grinning.

"Yeah, yeah, we should go sober up," Eri said to Yuka, grinning. They left, while I was still stuck on Inuyasha's lap.

"Guys, a little help over here would be better," I suggested through gritted teeth.

"Hey, did you hear anything?" Yuka asked, weaving to her own room. Ayumi helped a giggling Eri to hers.

"No, nothing," Eri snickered. "Must've been the wind."

I would strangle them. I would strangle them the first chance I got. I watched helplessly as the people that I used to call my friends disappeared into their respective rooms. My eyes flew back to Inuyasha's when I felt his thumbs start to rub slow circles on my hips.

"I thought you were piss drunk," I snarled at him. His lazy smile turned into a full-blown grin.

"Your two friends are. And I was pretty smashed earlier tonight. I just happened to sober up a bit when a fight went down and I had to help." One of his hands came up to tangle his fingers into a few strands of my hair. "And then your friends needed me to drive," he continued, tugging on my hair. I refused to lower my head, getting an idea of what he wanted from the intent I saw in his lowered lids. "I figured it was better for me to drive than them. And they seemed to trust I wouldn't do anything to them. Lucky for them, my friend had already left me. And all my shit was in his car. For example, my house keys." Meaning he had no way of even getting into his own place anyway. I rolled my eyes. Irresponsible jerk.

"Listen, I might be new to this, but if a girl is all you're looking for, you need to look somewhere else," I snapped, once again trying to dislodge myself. The hand that was lightly tugging my hair snapped up with the speed of a snake to close around the nape of my neck. Startled, I froze and stared at him, mouth agape. He forcefully pulled me down, so close to his face that I choked and held my breath. My heart gave a slow _thump_, and then sped up to have all the blood rushing to my face again.

"I think you need a reminder of what happened the last time _you _were drunk, and _I _was sober. Now that the tables are turned, you won't let me do the same things you did yourself?" His easy grin was gone now. "That's rich. Real rich. You're nothing but a tease."

I choked again, only this time in indignation. My fingers became claws, my nails digging into his shoulders as I curled them inwards. He didn't even flinch, meeting my gaze, steadfast.

"Listen, _pal_," I pushed my own face towards his in anger and distaste. I lowered my head so I could be eye-to-eye with the bastard. "You can't antagonize me into kissing you, no matter how much you might anger me." I sat as far back as I could, which wasn't much because his hand on my neck wouldn't let me move very far. But I gave him a cool, icy gaze as I moved back that precious inch. Any distance was welcomed. I would have been satisfied with that, if he hadn't looked like he wasn't listening to me at all.

He was perusing my face using that same lazy smile, as if I hadn't said a word to him. Incensed, I grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged. Hard. He yelped and gave me a dirty look.

"Do I have your attention now?" I asked scathingly. You know, normally I'm a good-tempered, nice person. He just brought out the worst in me. Always. "Let. Me. Go."

"You know," Inuyasha murmured, "I was wrong."

"Oh, good," I said, blinking. I guess he was listening after all. "If you know the error of your ways, then just let me go. I'll pretend that--"

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha continued, "that I had it all wrong." I stared at him in confusion, and in a flash and quick maneuvering on his part, I was under him on the couch, with him on top of me, grinning down at me. I stiffened.

"What the heck is this all about?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"I said that the tables were turned, but I remembered we hadn't been sitting up. We were lying down. With me on the bottom and you on top." He gave me that lazy smile again, the one that had my pulse skittering and heat pooling. I ignored both sensations. Or tried to.

"Then why are you on top?" I asked, and then I realized he would take the question as some kind of weird, suggestion that _I _wanted to be on top. His quirking of the eyebrow told me that was exactly what he was thinking. "I'm just wondering why we're switched," I hastily added.

"Well, if the tables are turned, they should be turned all the way, yeah?" He leaned down, bringing his face close to mine again. I held my breath again. My mouth was suddenly dry and I licked my lips, moistening them. On a groan, he lowered his head, his eyes on my mouth. I felt a tightening inside of me, as if I was anticipating our contact.

Quickly, I shoved my hand in his face, making sure that no such contact was made. My breath was coming fast, but I focused my eyes on him.

He sighed. "You're right."

I breathed a sigh of relief, taking my hand away. His hands were suddenly encircling my wrists, and my eyes flew to his in alarm.

He gave me a boyish grin that did much to melt me. I didn't know I was a melty girl until then. I struggled to stiffen my spine again. Hard to do when all I wanted to do was sink into the cushions to let his weight warm me.

"You know, for someone so against romance novels," I started, "you sure do take a lot of moves from them." I frowned up at him. "I was right about what?"

I shouldn't have asked. His face lowered, and I squeaked when it came close. But he merely went to the side of my head, ignoring my eyes clenched shut and my mouth turned inwards so that he would be unable to reach my lips. My breath exploded out of me on a shocked gasp when I felt his teeth scrape my earlobe.

"You were right," he whispered into my ear, causing shivers to turn through me, "that _you _didn't start off with a kiss either."

"What are you talking about?" I cleared my throat then, aware of how breathy and husky my voice had become. The blood was rushing in my veins, and I felt so sensitive, as if the blood rushing under my skin pushed all of my nerves to the surface. My theory was proved when he brushed his mouth against my jaw. The simple, slight contact made it feel like a lightning bolt zinged through me, all the way down to my toes.

"I told you, you took the initiative last time. In fact, you even had my hands like this too," he supplied the information in an amused voice.

I scoffed up at him, scowling. "As if you couldn't get out of my hold." He shrugged, and said, "I'll have to admit. When a girl's on top of me like this, I normally don't fight back. And you were doing things like this," he said, nipping my jawline and making me yelp, "that kept me on my toes and I didn't really feel like fighting back at the time."

"You're telling me," I hissed, "that I did this?"

"No," Inuyasha said calmly, his lips rubbing against my throat and making my breath come slightly faster. "I'm telling you that you did much," a nip on my throat, "much," a nip on my collarbone, "much more." I fought to keep my eyes open, a drugging sort of feeling taking over me. This made my eyes pop open.

"Did you drug me?" I demanded, still feeling a little sluggish from his ministrations-- No, the drugs!

Inuyasha stared down at me, surprise on his features. Then he was laughing, his head coming down on my shoulder as his body shook from the force of his laughter. I could feel the laugh booming against me, and I frowned, my eyebrows down in consternation. I think it was the first time I heard him laugh like that, and no matter what tickly sensations his laugh gave to me, I was not happy. At least, not about the situation.

"No, I didn't drug you. What you are feeling is not a side effect of drugs, Kagome, but good ol' arousal." He grinned down at me again. There was something tender about his smile this time. I felt that slight melting sensation again. Oh geez. I needed to stop. It's not like I am some kind of piece of chocolate left out in the sun.

I immediately, however, rejected his idea. "I'm not _aroused_," I scoffed, but a traitorous blush crept up my neck to my cheeks. Would I ever stop blushing tonight?

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha murmured, and too late I saw the challenge in his eyes. I opened my mouth to retract my statement, but his head dipped, this time to take the tendon between my neck and my shoulder between his teeth. My entire body stiffened, and he lightly bit down before sucking on the ligament. I made a choking sound, and my body arched. Okay, so maybe he was right. Maybe it was arousal, and I wasn't drugged. This "Girl" brain was _stupid_! Attracted to Neanderthals and _idiots_!

Oh, God.

"I also think that I was very drunk, and my actions were not my own," I muttered, fruitlessly trying to wrench my arms from his grip. His mouth left my skin, making me breathe a sigh of relief.

And then his mouth was on mine.

Worlds opened, the universe came to a halt, and time stopped. His mouth was urging mine to move under his, and his tongue was--

Oh my God, his tongue was in my mouth.

And it felt good.

Someone moaned before I realized it was me.

In the back of my mind somewhere, the part that was watching myself as if it were a movie, suspended in the darkness of my own mind, I briefly wondered if I was supposed to feel this way. I also belatedly realized that he had let go of my hands, and they were currently wrapped around his neck, ensuring that his mouth did not leave mine. I also registered the taste of liquor on his tongue. However, there was a deeper taste, one that was sweet and tart like strawberries, and... and...

Annoying.

He had no right to taste addicting._ Especially_ under these circumstances!

Is this what I couldn't remember from the time I had been intoxicated? Well, shoot. I had missed out!

I instantly mentally trampled on that thought. I leisurely opened my eyes, and was startled to find his gray eyes staring back at me. Calmly. I dragged my mouth from his, and he lowered his mouth to suckle on my neck, at the spot he had left a hickey before. I was pretty sure he was ensuring that it was bigger and brighter. "This is so wrong," I murmured, tongue darting out to subconsciously keep the strawberry taste of him. I gasped as he sucked the skin into his mouth strongly. Yeah, I was pretty sure he was doing stuff to my already existing hickey, that jerk.

"You're right," he gasped out. "This is wrong." My eyes closed in relief; relief that he agreed with me. Now he would put a stop to this spinning in my head, to the blood pounding in--

He moved, his knee going in between my legs, and he was soon in the cradle of my hips. I stared at him, but I was not even that surprised anymore. This man could really haul ass when he wanted to. He was so _fast_ and quick.

"Now it's right," he murmured, his mouth going back to mine before I could protest. I groaned as I tasted him again, as he mimicked with his tongue what he wanted to do to me. I experimented with my own tongue curiously, and I was secretly delighted when he moaned once. I was giving him the same feelings as he was giving me. However, when the kiss became more intense, and his body started to rock against mine, I was horrified at myself that I was on the verge of _letting _him ravage me. Not only was I stone-cold sober, _he _was mildly inebriated. This really was a role reversal.

I was becoming a sex kitten.

And I was still a virgin.

This thought made me slow down again, made me tear my mouth from his with a soft cry of desperation. I was embarrassed I could make these kinds of noises, but I couldn't stop the little whimpers coming out of my throat as his hands went from my wrists to my face to my waist.

"I don't even like you," I whispered, my body arching as the rough pads of his fingers slipped underneath my overly large t-shirt to touch the skin of my stomach.

"The feeling's mutual," he growled, his teeth grabbing a hold of my chin.

"This is just a bunch of explosive chemistry," I gasped out.

"You're damn right it is. We're like a bunch of fireworks just waiting to shoot off and explode in the sky. I'm ready to explode for you," he agreed in a growl, with a tone of voice that suggested he was mad about it. That didn't seem to stop one of his hands going up to cover my breast.

Well.

Suddenly, we were no long horizontal. He had picked me up, and my legs had automatically gone around his waist to lock my ankles behind his back.

"Where we going?" I asked in between kisses. No wonder kids out there were doing drugs. I mean, Inuyasha's taste alone was addicting. I'm pretty sure that whatever substance was in those drugs was in his mouth. I wondered if other women had tasted him. I didn't like this thought one bit.

"Your room," he replied, his hands going to my bottom.

Oh, geez. We were getting hot and heavy. Or were we? I didn't know enough about these kinds of situations to know what stage we were at.

I had read enough romance novels to know what stages there were, depending on the situation. Now, our situation was the kind-of drunk situation. If he had been the girl, and I the man, the outcome would be different-- with him giving up and doing the honorable thing and _not _sleeping with the girl. Now that the genders were reversed... I just didn't know.

Here are the normal stages:

1. Girl and guy feels mutual attraction. Drunk girl focuses on guy.  
2. Drunk girl somehow ends up on top of guy. Guy uses to his advantage, despite all verbal protests he might give.  
3. Things get hot and heavy (whatever that means), and guy puts a stop to things.  
4. Girl wakes up next morning with slight recollection of what has happened, and apologizes with a slightly embarrassed demeanor that makes guy think she's cute. And then he makes known that he _is _attracted to her and is going to finish the deed at a later time.

Now here's the million dollar question: Since _he _was the mildly drunk one, and _I _was the sober one, what was the normal thing for me to do? Because of the double standards between men and women, maybe _he _wouldn't find it honorable if I put a stop to things. He would, most likely, find it an unwanted and uncomfortable hiatus. But _I _was nervous about continuing, so I kind of _wanted _to put a stop to things. But oh, his taste...

Focus.

In the end, it all comes down to this: _Did I want to?_ No, not right now. It didn't matter how _he _would feel or how he would react.

I guess I had been thinking too long about this, because the next thing I knew, he was closing my bedroom door behind us and lowering me onto my small, twin-size bed. When he was about to cover me with his body, I planted my hands against his chest. He froze. His breath shuddered out of him, and I felt the shivers shake his body. Actually, they weren't shivers, but quakes. He was fighting with himself. At least I think he was.

I shivered too. I realized I was possibly holding myself back as much as he was. Was it really the right thing to do saying no? I didn't want to give my virginity away in a bout of mad heat, but...

Oh, the heat was just so tempting. The heat of his chest against my palm was tantalizing, and my fingers curled. His arms trembled as he held himself above me. He stared at me, his gaze unwavering. I stared back at him, getting the distinct feeling that he was searching for something.

"Whatever you're looking for," I said softly, "I can't give it to you right now." He stared a little bit more at me, before giving a tight nod, and falling onto his back and covering his eyes with his arm. He blew out a frustrated breath, and I turned onto my side to face him. In a twin size bed, there wasn't much room so I was almost flush against his length.

He lifted his arm a little to glare one eye at me. "I think that you're the girl that's going to be the death of me," he muttered before putting his arm back. I merely shrugged. Whether I was or I wasn't had yet to be seen.

There were more things I was curious about. Questions were about to bubble to the surface, but I kept them simmering in my mind.

Did this make us a couple?  
Does he like me?  
Do I like him?  
Did he do this just because of alcohol, although he wasn't that drunk?  
Will he use alcohol as an excuse?  
Were the pyramids made by aliens?

No, but seriously.

What were we to each other?

As I stared at him, I found myself becoming impossibly sleepy. I was going to ask him the questions, when I heard a soft snore coming from him.

The bastard had fallen asleep. So much for being unable to sleep after--

After _what, _Kagome? I asked myself.

It almost made me want to throttle him. But then he would wake up, be grumpy, and all that. Good thing the next day was the start of the weekend. Because I didn't think I was going to get any sleep tonight.

* * *

I woke up slowly, but my body felt luxurious. As long as it had taken me to fall asleep, once I did it was deep and comfortable. I stretched slowly, extending my arms above my head. Suddenly, my hands were clasped together in a way that felt familiar now. I leveled a calm gaze above me, where Inuyasha was now hovering above me, a frown on his face. He could have looked happier to see the girl he made out with the night before.

"Nice sleep?" he asked sarcastically.

"Nice enough, considering I slept next to a boar that snores quite loudly," I answered dryly. Actually, his snores never got louder than a whisper. It was actually comforting, hearing his breathing right next to me. But I wasn't going to tell him that now.

"Look who's talking," he snapped. I blinked. Did I snore? Why, I hadn't ever thought of that possibility.

"Mind if you let go, now?" I asked, tugging at my wrists that were currently incarcerated within his grasp. His free hand came up to hold my chin, ensuring that my gaze didn't leave his.

"We're not done here, Lamb Chops," he murmured. Again, I had the distinct impression that he wasn't happy about it. This was going exactly as the romance novels had predicted. I guess it didn't matter who was drunk, as long as it was a mutual attraction. He had stated his intentions that last night was not the end of it, and he was, in fact, going to finish what he started.

Well, he should know that _I _didn't like the situation either. I wasn't happy about this sudden attraction springing up and taking over my body like I was some kind of innocent little girl being possessed by the DEVIL. I pouted as he let go of my hands.

"If you don't want me to suck on that," he began wryly, "you're gonna wanna stick that lip back in."

I was immediately sucking on my bottom lip, my eyes wide. He got up from my bed, and I shifted to get off as well. Inuyasha moved to open the door. When the door opened, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi tumbled in.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Yuka exclaimed unashamedly from the floor, giving Inuyasha a cheeky grin. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and scowled. He stepped over the mass of bodies, leaving me to contend with them.

"So," Eri started slyly, "how was he?"

"We didn't do anything," I informed them. I was met with three identically disbelieving looks. Inuyasha was clanging around the kitchen, apparently throwing pots around. "If we did, he wouldn't be so frustrated, throwing dishes around in the kitchen."

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi all looked towards the kitchen at the same time that Inuyasha dropped a pot on his foot and cursed at it.

"Don't you have any ramen in this place?" Inuyasha yelled.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi all looked at each other. Ayumi said an understanding, "Ah," and they all stood up.

"We're not ramen freaks," I called back to Inuyasha. He said something extremely dirty and extremely pithy that had my hackles rising. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but Yuka bounced away towards the kitchen. I stared after her curiously.

"Why don't _you_," I heard her say to him, "go talk to Kagome while _I _cook us up a nice weekend breakfast?"

Inuyasha grumbled all the way back to my room, and he fell back onto my bed sitting up, his arms crossed. Ayumi and Eri snickered as they went to go help Yuka with the food.

"Stop pouting. You're like a dog that didn't get his treat," I commented, getting up.

"I'm not pouting," he snapped.

"Well, stop sulking then," I replied calmly, grabbing a towel and heading towards my private bathroom. "If you need a shower after me, I washed the clothes I borrowed from you last time." Without waiting for a response, I shut the door and turned on the water.

I stared in dismay at my reflection, the edges of the mirror already fogging from the heat of the shower. The hickey was indeed larger. Much larger. And brighter. And redder.

When I was done with the shower, I stepped out, the towel wrapped securely around me. Inuyasha scowled when he saw me. His face looked thunderous. I don't know what he was complaining about now. The shower was free, and I hadn't taken a long time.

"I didn't use up all the hot water, so stop scowling like that," I muttered.

He bared his teeth at me. "You think that I'm unhappy with you because you used up all the hot water?" He wasn't happy about something, I just didn't know what. It was starting to annoy me. Was I supposed to read his mind? Read his every mood and act accordingly?

"Well, I don't care what it is that has you unhappy. Go into the bathroom so I can undress." The curse that exploded from his lips was all the warning I had before he crossed the room in a blur and was plastered to me like second skin. His mouth was on mine, and I definitely knew I hadn't been making up that strawberry taste. I was amazed. No morning breath.

When he let me go, my head was spinning out of control and my lips were, I'm sure, swollen.

"Be careful how you talk around me, Lamb Chops. I'm on a thin wire, especially after last night. And you shoulda used up all the hot water because I need a cold shower." He looked very unhappy about it, too. "And be careful how you dress around me. You're just being a tease, walking around in this skimpy towel." He hooked a finger in it, loosening it a fraction to show me just how easy it would be to take it off. I gulped, and my hands came up to keep the towel secure.

He began to walk away, but my own anger and frustration rose to the surface. Call me a tease, will you? Oh, I'll show you tease.

I stomped up to him, whirling him around, before I planted my mouth on his. Not hard, but softly. He kept his eyes on mine, aware of what I was trying to do. My hands came up, smoothing over his midsection, chest, and up to his shoulders before going to tangle in his hair. I kept the kiss light, never more than a brush of lips. His eyes grew heavy-lidded, just what I was hoping for. I took his hand, and put it on my bare thigh. Keeping my lips and eyes on him, I moved his hand farther and farther up, until it was caressing the hem of the towel. His fingers tightened briefly before he loosened his fingers when I deepened the kiss. I kept my hand on his, because I was self-conscious about the fact that I was totally naked underneath. Of course, I was also extremely surprised at myself that I had the _cojones_ to do this. I nipped at his lip, and he finally, finally gave a tortured groan when I retreated. I stared at him in what I hoped was a cool manner.

"If you want to call me a tease," I said huskily, "then I can show you a tease. But I'm not one, so go take your cold shower."

His eyes were narrowed dangerously at me. "Why the hell would you do that now, when you've already got me all heated up," he demanded to know, even more unhappy that he had suffered more torture at my hands. My brow arched at his question.

"Weren't you going to take a cold shower anyway?" I replied. I shoved him into the bathroom, closing the door on his astonished face. I snickered when I heard him pound his fist on the counter of the sink. _Call me a tease again, Inuyasha, _I thought to myself, _and you'll be sorry. _I grinned when I heard him curse me. "More than you already are," I said aloud to myself. I wondered what had happened to make me change so much. I would normally never have initiated such bold tactics against a male. I quickly got dressed, leaving his change of clothes outside the bathroom door. Then, before he could tempt me like I had tempted him, I quickly went into the living room. The girls in the kitchen all gave me curious looks.

"What was all the hubbub about, Kagome?" Yuka asked, flipping a pancake over. She made a face as the pancake didn't turn out the way she wanted it to.

"He was just being his bad-tempered self again," I said easily, making Inuyasha sound like a bad puppy that misbehaved regularly.

We were talking normally, catching up on what happened at the party last night and who Inuyasha rescued. I was a little annoyed that once Inuyasha had dissolved the fight between one of his friends and another guy, it had all been about a girl. A girl, who after that, ditched her own boyfriend and followed Inuyasha around, according to Yuka and Eri. But they seemed happy to tell me this, almost as if measuring my reaction, so I made sure to keep the pleasant smile on my face, drinking a cup of coffee that Ayumi had given me.

"Yeah, and then she gave him a little kiss so that he would know who exactly he had saved. He didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure her lips were being sucked off towards the end," Yuka stated cheerfully. My fingers tightened on my mug, but I made sure to keep my face the same.

So. Kiss one girl and come to me and kiss _me_ is it? _Now _who was the tease? Even "Girl" brain did not like this scenario one bit. Addiction to strawberry flavors be damned, he was _out_.

"Yeah. And when Eri and I asked him for a ride, she practically killed us with her laser stare! And she was holding onto his arm so tight that I thought she was going to break it. I don't know how he managed to shake her off, but boy, were we glad that he drove us home. Eri and I were pretty smashed."

"You should have had designated a driver first before drinking," I pointed out. Yuka shrugged and grinned.

"I'm in college. I'm allowed to make mistakes." I didn't bother to mention that some mistakes cost you your lives. She knew this well flipped another pancake, while also handing Eri the salt shaker for the scrambled eggs. "So anyways, we're about to leave, when the _same girl_ runs up to him, and coyly hands him her number. Then she kisses him again, before winking at _us _and bouncing off!" Yuka angrily deposited the pancake onto a stack. "If he had been _my _boyfriend, I would have torn her stupid blonde hair out!"

"She was blonde?" I asked.

"No, but she damn well acted like one!"

"Who?" The masculine voice interrupted.

"Oh, I was just telling Kagome about the lovely girl you were talking to last night. You know, the one you saved," Yuka said sweetly. The couch I was sitting on was against the wall of the living room, facing the front door, so I was unable to see Inuyasha as he spoke.

"Ah. That girl. She was annoying." My fingers on the mug tightened again. Is that what he was going to say about me when he left today? He came into view, and I nearly choked on my coffee. He had one towel haphazardly tied around his waist, while he had taken another to towel dry his hair. Water was dripping down his torso, and I noticed all three of my friends staring at him, their mouths hanging open.

"I left your clothes out in front of the bathroom door!" I exclaimed. Inuyasha shrugged.

"I don't like wearing clothes when I'm all wet," He replied easily. He continued to dry his hair, and came to sit next to me. I stiffened up, and scooted to the farther end. He gave me a curious look, and scooted closer. I would have moved to another sofa, but that was the only seating in the living room. So I got up and moved to the dining room. I saw my friends' eyes follow me, then dart back to Inuyasha to watch his reaction. I could care less about his reaction.

"So, please continue," I said in the dining area. It wasn't really a dining _room_, but merely a space to put the table and chair next to the kitchen, that wouldn't automatically impede access to the hallway.

"Well, uh..." Yuka stumbled. "And then we came home," she finished lamely.

Inuyasha got up, and went back into my room, closing the door. I scowled openly now. When the door opened again, he was fully dressed in the sweatpants and t-shirt I had borrowed from him. He was scowling too. He strode to me quickly, and before I knew it, he had me caged in my chair against the table, with his arms on either side of me. He was pretty strong to lift the chair like nothing with me in it, and swing it around like that, I thought almost bemusedly.

"What is your problem _now_?" He asked, the exasperation in his tone only making me more determined that he was _out. _

"_I _don't haveproblems. _You _do." I replied, sipping my coffee in what I hoped was a casual manner. I was gripping the handle of the mug tightly. If he kissed me in front of my friends, I would kick him where it hurts. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my three friends watch in fascination, while a pancake burned.

"Guys, the pancakes are burning," I said easily, looking Inuyasha in the eye, and sipping my coffee more. I saw Inuyasha's jaw working, clenching and unclenching. Then with a muttered oath, he pushed off of the table.

I think the more and more he's around me, the more bad-tempered he gets. I wonder why.

We ate breakfast in silence, but I filled it up as much as I could in between bites with chatter. It annoyed him, I knew, and I watched as his knuckled grip got tighter and tighter on his fork before practically bending it.

"Well, I enjoyed breakfast," I said when I was done with my plate. "I'll do the dishes, since you guys cooked."

"Good idea. Inuyasha, you help dry. Well, we're off!" Eri exclaimed.

"Off where?" I asked, alarmed suddenly.

"Well, I was going to grocery shopping," Yuka quickly cut in, "and these two wanted to come along, and I'm sure _you _would love to come with us," I was about to agree, but she said, "but you have to attend to your boyfriend. So, ciao!" They left as if in a whirlwind. Which left Inuyasha and me sitting there, in awkward silence.

"Do you have work today?" I asked tightly, standing to gather up the plates.

"No," he replied back, just as tightly. I started washing the dishes, and Inuyasha dumped his own dishes into the sink. And then he went into my room. Grumbling, I put the washed dishes on a rack to dry, and went into the room a few minutes after I had started washing dishes. The _pig _of a man was on my bed, lounging and watching the small TV I had set up in the room.

I didn't say a word, merely walked out to the living room. I turned on the TV and tried to convince myself that I wasn't bothered by him. By his kissing another girl and coming home to me. It's not like him and I were exclusive or anything. But damn it, he had taken my first kiss! And he hadn't cared that the girl had a boyfriend... So that meant that he didn't respect fidelity at all! I didn't need a guy like that to be coming into my home and kissing me senseless. He had no right!

I worked myself up to a lather until I found myself shutting off the TV and stomping back into my room.

"You gonna tell me what's bothering you now?" Inuyasha asked lazily from his sprawled position on _my _bed.

"Mind telling me if you always go around kissing girls? Because last time I checked, you're not supposed to go from a party of kissing girls, then come to the house of _another _girl, practically _rape _her, and--"

"Exactly _who _raped _who_?" Inuyasha asked in an incredulous tone, rising from his position on the bed, sitting up quickly with a wary look in his eye.

"Okay, fine, not rape," I amended, but now I was starting to pace back and forth. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all, but it was _bothering _me. What was I to him? A make-out buddy? Because I distinctly remember telling him that I wasn't interested in that.

I realized I had said _something _out loud when he said, "If I just saw you as a make-out buddy, I wouldn't be here now."

I was silent a moment. "What does that _mean_?" I asked. "Just because you're here doesn't mean anything, Inuyasha. When you leave, you won't be here. So what exactly is your point?"

His brows furrowed. "I'm trying to figure that out myself," he muttered. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Look, I'll take you home now. When you've got it figured out, come and talk to me. Or better yet, don't talk to me." It was regrettable that I had given my first kiss to some player wannabe that I would occasionally run into. My reaction to him had been explosive and fiery, and not something I would easily forget-- however, my pride was on the line. I was not some plaything and I would not allow any man to play with me.

_But the strawberries_, "Girl" brain whispered. I thumped my forehead with the heel of my palm in order to chase out these wayward thoughts. _Stay strong!_

When I turned around, Inuyasha was _right there_, staring down at me with a thunderous expression.

"You're kicking me out?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes," I replied cautiously. His hand came up to grip my chin, lifting my face up more. I made sure not to lose eye contact with him. He was like a snake. I had to keep eye contact with him or he would take an opportunity to strike. His fingers moved down to cover the expanse of my throat, and I barely repressed the shudder that almost ran through me when his thumb subtly caressed my pulse point.

"I suggest you reconsider," he said softly, his mouth coming down to toy with mine. I fought to keep my thoughts clear. My hands snapped up to close around his wrist, but his hand didn't budge, didn't tighten.

"Why should I?" I asked breathlessly, struggling to keep my eyes focused on his. His own eyes were wide open, staring into mine, the gray eyes turning into the color of steel.

"I didn't make out with the other girl," he murmured. I stared up at him, surprised.

"Yes, you did," I countered immediately. My response was more automatic than thought out.

"Your friends were just trying to see your reaction. I'm sure they would have told you the truth later," He continued. "I didn't kiss anyone last night, except for you."

I pressed my lips together into a thin line as I thought hard. "So... You _didn't _make out with the other girl."

"No."

"You made out with me." He seemed amused by this.

"Yeah. And we can continue--"

"I'm still taking you home right now," I hastily interrupted him. He became flummoxed, then irritated, then angry.

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Because I still don't know if you're telling the truth. And even if you are, I want us both to go our separate ways, think about this long and hard. Because if you're going to continue this... this _thing _with me, I'm going to expect a relationship sooner or later. And this is in no way encouraging your behavior, either." I gave a firm nod, as if to solidify all of my decisions. "I am not to be used as a 'booty call,' or whatever. So you better think long and--" I was cut off by his sudden laughter. I could feel my eye twitching. "What's so funny?"

"Hahahaha... You said _booty call_," he snickered.

It was my turn for irritation, and then anger. "Call it what you want," I snapped, "but I expect you to treat me with respect. I'm not a plaything, Inuyasha. Don't make me become one." I realized after the words came out of my mouth that it sounded as if I was afraid that he had the ability to make me become his plaything. And that I had no power to stop it. Instead of fixing my error, I straightened my back and looked him dead in the face. His laughter quieted.

"What if I said no? I don't want a girlfriend right now?" He asked, curious.

"I--" I wasn't expecting this answer or this question. "I _think _I would say take a hike." I knew my face looked confused. If he said he didn't want a girlfriend, would I become by myself what I had told him not to make me into? A plaything? Something there for his sexual release, but nothing permanent? And would I even _be _his sexual release when I was unwilling to give my virginity away like that? "I might continue kissing you, because I didn't expect you to be..." I was trying to think of an other word besides _addicting._ "... so skilled in that area," I finished. "I can't help but want to be kissed by you. But if I had a choice in the matter, then I would say take a hike."

His face said he was shocked. His hand still on my throat, he moved his hand to the back of my neck slowly, and my own hands fell away from his wrist to fall to his chest. Once his hand was there though, he yanked me upwards against him, trapping my hands between us. He covered my mouth with his in a hungry, deep kiss, one that had my head spinning. _Mm, strawberries._

"Your honesty is very dangerous," he gasped out, and before I could reply, his mouth was smothering mine. If the previous one had been a hungry kiss, this one was a starving kiss. It was as if he was feeding from me, from the very depths of me. My body shuddered once, twice, before my trapped hands moved around to his back and up to his shoulders.

His hands reached down and went under my thighs to lift my legs up to clasp his hips. He secured me against him by putting his hands on my butt. I tore my mouth from his with a shocked gasp, but he reclaimed it within a split second, and had my mind buzzing and blanking out again.

I could tell he was walking, but it was as if it was from a distance in my mind. It was something to be noted, not acknowledged.

Oh, crap, he was laying me down on the bed, and _wow_, he was taking off his shirt. For a college kid, he sure kept himself in shape. I mean, so did I but--

Oh, there goes my shirt. His mouth was set in a hard line, his eyes serious as he looked at my body. I became embarrassed, as I was only in my bra. Had I even shaved recently? I hope my legs weren't pricking him. That would also be embarrassing. And had I even bothered to put on sexy underwear? Like a thong? Did I own a thong? Was I wearing one right now?

And, of course, a new question stopped all sexual thoughts in my brain.

_Was I about to do it with him? _

_

* * *

_**wk**: Dun dun dun! Haha, I hope you like the cliffy. We shall see in the next chapter what happens!


	6. Convincing Kagome

**wk: **Here's the next installment of thi story. Sorry it took so long. =P Also, there is some pithy language in here, as well as some very sexual stuff, so BEWARE. This story, I believe, is rated M. So you underage kiddies-- don't be reading this now!

**Chapter Five  
Convincing Kagome**

"Whoop! Stop right there, Mr. Hot Pants," I cried out from under Inuyasha. I shoved on his chest, pushing him off of me. Except he didn't budge. He only stopped kissing me, giving me an arched look.

"What's the problem?" he asked. His voice was a little more than a growl, a little raspy, more husky.

"I just got done telling you that we should think about everything, and you're about to-- about to--" I choked as I felt his lips move over my jawline and down my neck. I shoved him back again.

"Have sex with you?" he supplied. I nodded, my arms going over my chest. I felt very vulnerable at the moment. "Well, what's the problem?" In a burst of panicky anger, I managed to push Inuyasha to the side and I hurriedly rose to my feet.

"I just finished telling you that we should _think _about it!" I replied and reached across my bed to snag my t-shirt. Inuyasha twitched, as if tempted to grab me and pull me down onto the bed, but I moved quickly.

I pulled the shirt over my head, and discovered that Inuyasha's sly fingers went under my shirt to caress my back. I slapped at his arm, and he yanked it away with an offended look on his face.

"Can you think about _anything_ other than sex?" I asked him, exasperated as his eyes continue to eat me.

"Not at the moment," he muttered, then sighed. He got up, came close to me, I crossed my arms across my chest in a defiant and defensive gesture, gazing up at him with hopefully determined eyes. "I want to go out with you," he said in slow, measured words. I blinked.

"Inuyasha, we've barely known each other for a couple of... Well, really a couple of days," I pointed out. Inuyasha shrugged.

"Doesn't seem to matter. We seem like we're on our own clock anyways."

"Inuyasha, we haven't even _dated_," I again pointed out. "You don't _know _me, and all you want is sex right now."

"That's not all I want," he murmured, "but fine! Let's go on a date right now. I guarantee you'll have fun with me!"

I thought about it for a while. On one hand, he couldn't do anything in public. On the other hand, he might be just shameless enough to do something in public. But on the _third _hand, I really didn't know _him _either. And if I wanted to be interested, I should start to get to know him, and vice versa. But how does this mysterious dating thing work? In all the romance novels I've read, the couples mostly just... _fall _into it. They have a date, maybe two, but they already know they're in love.

I was definitely not in love with Inuyasha. Not yet, anyways. _I hope _not. I wasn't unwilling to rule out the possibility of it happening, but--

"Keh. You gonna think about it for a good hour before you answer me, Lamb Chops?" Inuyasha asked, his tone amused.

"Uh... Yeah, let's go. But no movies! In fact, no dark area that you can take advantage of me!"

"Well, seeing as we just ate breakfast," Inuyasha contemplated, "we could go to the movies." Apparently, my protest had fallen on deaf ears. "Or, we could go to the park." Hm. The idea had merit. A nice walk to walk off our breakfast as well as getting to enjoy the outdoors.

"Okay," I replied with a smile.

* * *

I was screaming. I was screaming and my eyes were closed. The jerk had not told me that we were going to an _amusement park _with _roller coasters_. I normally enjoyed roller coasters. When they _coasted_. At _low speeds_.

Where was the darn teacup-spinny ride? I could ride that, no problem. I could even ride the stupid elephant ride that went up and down in a circle while you aimed your gun to shoot water at other riders.

But this roller coaster that I had been forced on (he had literally _dragged me _through) was high enough that I wouldn't be surprised if we had to _reenter the atmosphere_.

When the ride was done, I collapsed into a pile of jelly, since my knees refused to cooperate. It was embarrassing when Inuyasha had to carry me out of there on his back.

"I _told _you I can't ride things like that!" I wheezed weakly, thumping a weak fist on his shoulder. He coughed, which I suspected was to cover his chuckle. My eyes narrowed, and I yanked on his hair. He yelped and turned his head to give me an evil look out of the side of his eye. "Are you _laughing _at me?"

"No!" Inuyasha immediately denied, and when we got to the exit, he dropped me unceremoniously onto my butt. I stared up at him maliciously, and slowly got to my feet, rubbing my behind with my palm.

"All right, the next ride can be your choice," Inuyasha stated, grabbing my hand. I sighed, but then I thought about it.

"Any ride? Any ride at all?" I asked. Inuyasha nodded, although he looked a bit more cautious about it.

I had the urge to take him on the slowest ride-- ever. All it did was float on a raft through a course that had no dips or falls, and instead just floated along while puppets of every kind danced around you. The only reason why I didn't do this was because I thought it would be torture to both him _and _me.

So, I went to the next best thing. A water ride. It had one huge fall at the end, but the terror of it was offset by the big splash that would cool me down and be entertaining as well.

Afterwards, I was laughing and he was scowling as he shook like a dog in order to get all the water out of his hair. I squealed when some of the water got on me (never mind that I was already wet), and before I could get away, his arm grabbed me around my waist and swung me around into his (gulp) entire body.

"What are you laughing about?" he growled, and breathlessly I shrugged. My hands had gone to his shoulders, and I had the urge to play with his wet tendrils of hair that were hanging down.

"You just seemed like a little puppy," I replied, and gave into the urge and tugged on his hair. He stared at me for a moment, and he began to snarl.

"A _puppy_?" Before I could answer, his hand went to the middle of my back to urge me closer to him. Despite our dampness, I felt the heat of him resonate through our clothes. As I looked up at him, I realized his face was very close to mine. And I saw that he was aware of this too. In fact, I am pretty sure that is how he orchestrated out positions.

"We're in public," I whispered helplessly. He gave an impatient growl, and then his mouth was covering mine and I was gone again, gone to a different universe. I made some kind of needy, embarrassing noise, and I felt his lips curve against mine in a slight, triumphant smile as his other hand went to the back of my head to hold me in place. His teeth scraped over my bottom lip, caught, tugged, and I replied with a flick of my tongue. The swoop of my stomach was not unlike the one I had felt going down the roller coaster.

Soon, we were full-blown making out in the middle of the exit, people staring as they went around us to leave.

Oh, geez. Eventually, he gently pushed me away, and I am embarrassed to say that I was reluctant to stop. Wordlessly, he took my hand and led me out while I followed as if I was in a trance. I had to admit-- the boy could kiss, not that I had too much experience in the area. But I figured that since I couldn't think about _anything _once his lips met mine, I think I could safely say that he had ambrosia or some such substance on his lips.

He then led me to another roller coaster, one we had to wait for. I fought the entire way, telling him that he was a tyrant and yanking on his black locks and I was near hysterics when they strapped me in.

When the roller coaster started to move, I dug my nails into his forearm, and he laughed, turning my hand over so that it could clasp his rather than tear holes into it. I squeezed his hand hard, and closed my eyes. I felt the roller coaster tilt, and indication that it was going up. It actually went up for a while. A _long _while.

A _very _long while.

I'm pretty sure Inuyasha's hand was being crushed, but I didn't care. Right when I knew we were poised to start dropping, I tensed and my hand tightened even more around Inuyasha's. Right when we started to drop, I felt his fingers on my chin, turning my stiff head to him. I shook my head, trying to get my head out of his grip, but as a scream rose in my throat as I felt my stomach rise, his mouth covered mine. My eyes shot open, but the wind and my hair made it hard to see.

His own eyes were open and laughing at me, and all I knew was that it was as if he was breathing life into me as we rode the roller coaster. I didn't know whether the swooping sensation was the roller coaster or him.

I'm pretty sure it was both, but I felt like it was him. I didn't know whether the wrenching sensation inside me was the turning of the roller coaster, or whether it was his settling inside of me so that I knew, one way or another, it would be hard-- maybe impossible-- to get him out.

* * *

He might not have known exactly _what_, but he knew that something was different. We rode other rides, but he didn't insist on riding a roller coaster again. The very last we rode was a ferris wheel, and things felt... not tense, but anxious.

There were two seats inside, so that we could sit across from each other, but Inuyasha piled in next to me. Before I could protest, or more people could be added, Inuyasha swung the door shut himself, slipping the guy twenty dollars.

As the ferris wheel started, he trapped me against one side of the ferris wheel, caging me in with his arms against the wall.

"What are you so tense about?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"Nothing," I answered, but I think he knew I was lying from the fact that I wouldn't look him in the eye. I _couldn't_. This strange feeling welling up inside my chest was threatening to overwhelm me at any moment, and it was as if I was holding back a beast inside of me. I put all sorts of chains around the beast, and held him within my breast.

"Bullshit," Inuyasha countered. I remained tight-lipped, but I was surprised when he gripped my chin to force me to look at him. "Look at me," he bit out. I met his eyes with mine, but even before we could get a good look at each other, his mouth was on mine once more.

He sure did like kissing. And as I hummed into the kiss and closed my shocked eyes, I admitted I liked his kissing too.

His teeth dug into my lower lip and I made a slight whimpering sound as his tongue swept into my mouth. It was as if he was looking for something, some sort of response from me. I didn't know what sort of response he was expecting, but I didn't care at the moment, as long as he kept up his ministrations. I fought back tongue and lips, trying to gain dominance until I only gave up under his force and dominant nature. But it wasn't really giving up when I was enjoying everything he was doing.

Yes, I liked his kissing.

When he pulled away, I felt deprived and my hands had locked around his neck, not letting him go any further than an arm's length. He grinned, gave me a short kiss that had me frowning, and he forcefully pulled away, pulling my hands from around his neck. Reassured by something I gave him, he looked smug and satisfied.

Well, I was not satisfied.

Grabbing the lapels of his shirt, I yanked him, and using his momentum turned him around so that he was on the seat and I was standing above him. Surprised, he was gaping at me, his eyes blinking owlishly. In a bold move, I was straddling him, my knees next to his hips and my butt on his thighs. Before I could consider the consequences of my actions, I covered his mouth with mine and attacked him voraciously using all the weapons I have. I squeaked when I felt his hands on my butt, and he shifted me so that I was right over his--

Oh. Moan.

In the back of my mind, I knew we were moving too fast for any normal couple. As he kept making me rub against him, I amended my previous thought. We were moving very, very, _very_ fast. My stomach lurched, but I chalked it up to the feelings Inuyasha always seemed to stir in me. We needed to stop, but I just didn't have the willpower to--

"Uh... Ride's over. Unless you wanna pay for another go." I tore my mouth from Inuyasha to find the attendant looking abashedly at us. On an embarrassed groan, I scrambled off of Inuyasha's lap, and before he could take up the kid's offer, I awkwardly hastened out of the enclosure.

Inuyasha followed behind me more leisurely, and before I could completely run away, he snagged my fingers into interlaced hands. Mortified, I tried to tug my hand out of his, but he refused to let my hand go, whistling cheerfully as others stared at us.

"Kagome, you look pretty red. Is something wrong?"

I whirled around to possibly lash out at him, but I thought better of it when his _extremely _smug look made me bite my words back. This had not been a good idea. It was because of him that I had not even been able to see the nice scenery and view from the ferris wheel.

I turned back around and continued on back to the car.

When we got back, I let him stay for dinner (he bought Chinese takeout for us), but tried to force him out once he was done.

"But Kagome," Eri said to my despair, "we were gonna go clubbing tonight. Inuyasha, don't you want to come?"

"I would be delighted to," Inuyasha replied smugly, giving me a triumphant smile.

"Well, have fun, because I'm not going," I declared and crossed my arms over my chest.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on me, and I pointedly stared back at him.

"Fine," he declared, "I'll stay with you."

"No need for that," I retorted.

"I wouldn't want to leave my new girlfriend all by herself," Inuyasha replied just as quickly and easily with an air of concern. My mouth dropped open.

Fraud! Liar! We _never _established anything like that!

"Oh my gosh! You guys are going out?!" Yuka excitedly asked, and didn't even wait for a response before rushing on to say, "Kagome, you definitely have to go out now! And with Inuyasha! And I'll drive!"

I knew at that point it was pointless to argue. Yuka offering to be the designated driver and not get drunk? In order to get _me _drunk?

The world was turning on a different axis.

"Yeah, Kagome. Let's go celebrate," Inuyasha said with a smirk. This cocky son of a--!

"You and I have _nothing _together as of this point. We went on our first date _today! _You can't even _call _me your girlfriend after one date!" I sputtered out.

"You guys went on a date?" Ayumi asked, then without waiting for an answer added, "That is _so _sweet!" I rolled my eyes.

"Look, you guys have fun. I'll stay in."

"Then I'll stay too," Inuyasha declared. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from baring my teeth at him. If he stayed, we would get into a dangerous situation. On my bed. Naked.

And he knew it.

"Fine, I'll go," I said grumpily. I couldn't help but to be sulky and noncomplying. They-- no, he-- had pushed me into a corner with the decision.

We were going to go to a bar, then go barhopping. I mentioned my lack of ID, and Inuyasha waved that concern away.

"I know almost all the guys at the doors."

And with that, the night began. I was coerced, forced, wheedled, and physically bullied into drinking with my friends. And Inuyasha. He bought a majority of the drinks, with the girls buying a few congratulatory shots for the both of us, despite my protests of _there is no us, yet_. "Yet" seemed to be the operative word here.

I could have sworn that Inuyasha drank just as much as I did, but he looked none the worse for wear while I could tell that I was pretty sloshed.

"Oh, Geez, how'd I get so _drunk_?" I slurred to Inuyasha. "And why aren't _you _drunk? You drank the same amount as me!" I cried out. "This is unfair!"

We were walking to another bar, and I was holding hands with him as I leaned on him. Yuka was completely fine, as she had only a beer in order to be able to drive us back. Ayumi and Eri were almost as drunk as me, but were walking fine on their own.

"I'm a lot bigger than you, tiger," Inuyasha reasoned, emphasizing this by letting go of my hand and sliding his hand around my waist to squeeze the width of it before sliding his hand onto my belly. The heat that pooled there seemed to accent his hold. "Oh, hey man," Inuyasha said to his umpteenth friend, but this one happened to be the next destination. The guy said his hellos, and Inuyasha helped me inside, assuring the guy at the door that I wasn't drunk enough to barf inside.

I hoped he was right.

He bought one last round of shots, and I tried to refuse to take mine. But did I mention that I am _very _weak against peer pressure? Well, in case I haven't mentioned it before, I am. _Very _susceptible to peer pressure. Especially when I'm already drunk. And especially when I am being challenged.

"I bet you're not taking it because you can't," Eri needled.

"Yeah, I can't," I grumbled, sitting on a stool and leaning against Inuyasha.

"I think you're not taking it because you're a pussy. And maybe because you know that you can't outdrink us. Or maybe," Eri continued, "it's because you're afraid of what you'll really do when you let loose." Eri turned around when she saw that this particular tact wasn't working. "_Everyone!_" she shouted to the people at the bar. "My friend here won't take a shot. What do you think about that?" She turned back around when the crowd roared their disapproval. With a frustrated growl, I took the glass, and threw back the shot. The burning sensation down my throat told me that I would be regretting that later. Just as the burning sensation from my first shot told me the same thing.

As we were leaving the club, we happened to bump into someone I definitely didn't really want to ever see.

"Getting girls drunk so you can take advantage of them, dog shit?" Kouga growled, his eyes on Inuyasha. But then his eyes flitted to my glazed ones. Then he recognized me and things went from bad to worse. He leapt at Inuyasha, knocking him against the wall and me onto the ground. I banged my elbow on the rail meant to keep a space enclosed on the way down, and the jarring impact had me clenching my teeth and crying out. And because I brought my arm in after the initial pain, I landed hard on my ass, and as my other hand went out to try to catch my fall, my palm got scraped up against the concrete.

Inuyasha gave a bellow, as if he was the one that had gotten injured, and I was scrambling up when Inuyasha roughly shoved Kouga away and had his fists raised. I ran to Inuyasha's side, made sober by the moment. Or, at least, feeling drunkenly responsible.

I saw some cops on bicycles start to pedal over, as if trying to stake out the situation before coming with arrest on the mind.

I held Inuyasha back, pleading with him, telling him that Kouga wasn't worth it, that getting arrested wasn't worth it, please, please, please. His muscles trembled underneath my hand, and I was slightly aware that the only thing that stopped him was how I still favored my arm. Kouga's friends were hauling Kouga a distance away, whispering into his unhearing ears about how the cops were watching.

"Does it hurt?" Inuyasha murmured as he lifted my arm to look at it. I shook my head, and tugged at his shirt. I was surprised at anyone else when he pressed an apologetic kiss to my elbow. Not as surprised as him, I thought, as I registered the emotion in his eyes. I heard Kouga's fresh curses, and tugged at his shirt harder.

"Let's go back to the apartment now," I entreated, and my three speechless friends only nodded when I gave them a hard look that said, "_Agree with me_."

Sobered up, or at least _more _sober, we walked away from Kouga, but not before I threw him an apologetic glance. Inuyasha, who noticed, caught my chin and said, "Don't apologize. He's nothing." I noticed that his hand was trembling slightly. Probably from repressing his violent urges to tear Kouga apart.

He was nothing romantically important to me, I silently agreed. Kouga had, apparently, assumed that on his own. But I had to feel bad for the guy.

As we walked along, Inuyasha's hand found mine. When I squeezed his hand, palm-to-palm, he looked down as if surprised that my hand was enveloped in his. But he didn't disconnect our hands, and instead lifted our joint hands to murmur something against my knuckles. The tingling spread from my fingers to the very tips of my toes, and I shivered. Probably thinking I was cold, he used the same hand to bring me closer to him, and he took his hand from mine to rest possessively on my hip, his fingers spreading to distribute warmth.

This was all done without uttering a word, and I leaned into him, suddenly very sober and intensely curious.

I had never seen this tender, caring side of him. He was still rough around the edges of course, and I knew when he cared, but this almost loving nature of his unnerved me. Was he drunk? Is that why he was so much more uninhibited?

My sobriety only lasted so long, until the adrenaline rush ended. Soon I was weaving again, my weight against Inuyasha as I walked blearily to the car with him.

On the way back to our apartment, I fell asleep, my dizziness and drunkenness not allowing me to do anything else. I woke to a pair of soft lips on mine, and realized that I was in bed, my clothes changed and drowsily staring at Inuyasha who hovered above me. I then realized that he had to have had carried me all the way inside, and changed me as gently as a baby. He had to have, since I hadn't wakened at all. The romantic in me swooned, and I wished I had been awake for that particular trek.

"How's your elbow, baby?" he whispered, and the endearment had me melting and giving him a soft, sleepy smile.

"Hurts like hell," I replied, and again was surprised when he lifted again to press his lips to it. Then he lifted my palm, and I saw that he had seen the damage done to that as well. He pressed his lips there, and rather than being soothing, the heat shot through my body. Still sleepy but now fully aware and sober, I brought up my free hand, wincing a bit when my elbow straightened to bring his face to mine.

My eyes stayed on his as he rubbed his lips over mine, not devouring as he had done to me before. My heart started thumping heavily, the blood slowly rushing through my veins to make my body feel slower, sluggish.

He didn't touch me in any other way than his mouth, and the brush of his long hair against my cheeks as it curtained us, shutting us off from the outside world. He teased the corners of my mouth with his tongue, making me whimper embarrassingly with need as I opened my lips against his. Still, he only dipped the tip of his tongue in my mouth, teasing me unbearably. I followed his tongue with my own into his mouth, where he took control, and erotically sucked on my tongue, biting it gently with his teeth.

I was so hot and fevered by then that I belated realized he held my hands against the bed when I tried to touch him, yank on his hair, _something _to make him do something other than drive me crazy.

I sank my teeth into his lower lip, intending to punish him, then yanked my head away from his kiss. "Please," I panted. My body arched when he drew a fingertip down in between my breasts to my belly button, circled it over my pajamas.

"Not tonight, baby." The same endearment. Instead of melting me, it made me snarl.

"It figures, you _jerk_!" I viciously yanked my hands from his grip, and shoved against his chest. "Get me all hot and bothered to the point where I was _begging _you for it, and even though you've been wanting me all this time, you _refuse _me. Great. What made you change your mind, _baby_?" I said the same endearment scathingly, throwing it sarcastically in his face.

Before I could get off my bed to start pacing, he grabbed me around the waist, and had me under him again. I started to shove against him again, but this time he didn't budge. He avoided my dangerously flailing legs, and he straddled my waist to keep me down. He grunted when I slammed my knee against his back, and he leaned over to grab my wrists again, although this time it was for his protection.

However, he jumped off of me when I gave an alarmed and pained cry as he straightened my arms.

I immediately yanked my arm against my body in a protective gesture, blinking back tears of surprised pain. He cursed, and his touch gentled, his hands going to my face to brush away the tears. I sniffled, then with my good arm, swung my fist around to clip him on the jaw. But the angle was awkward and I didn't have much leverage, so I doubted I even bruised him.

He grunted, his head knocking to the side. He gave me a glittering look, while he worked his jaw around, making sure I didn't damage it.

"Gotta work on your left hook, tiger," he said, and dodged the second blow aimed at his face.

He grabbed my chin, and was kissing me hard, and my hands clenched into the back of his shirt, my nails digging, but he didn't react in anyway except to possess my mouth even harder. My anger had turned into an explosion of passion, and I don't even know how that happened. My mouth tore from his to race down his throat as he tried to get a handle of himself against my temple. I nipped his collarbone through his shirt, and he plunged a hand into my hair to yank my head back lightly.

"Don't push me, tiger," he growled down at me. "You're still drunk and I don't take advantage of drunken girls."

"You seemed to do fine the other nights," I snapped back. "And I'm not drunk!"

His eyes were still glittering, I realized, the violet of them sharpening into a dark purple. "I don't want a drop of alcohol in you when I fuck you. I don't want to give you the chance of blaming it on anything but your own sweet, little body," he said, and nipped my chin, then my lip. My mind had hazed over at his crude comment, but damn, it turned me on. I was shuddering because of how turned on I was. "And might I remind you," he muttered, "that you took advantage of _me _on those other nights."

"I did not. And I won't blame it on alcohol now," I murmured, trying to catch his mouth with mine. When he avoided me, I instead gave him an apologetic kiss where I had hit him on the chin. In the back of my mind, I was absolutely incredulous. This man knew how to manipulate my moods to extremes. I had just punched at him a moment ago, I was sure, but here I was now, apologetic and kissing away his boo-boo's.

He slid away from me, and using his hold on the back of my head, yanked my face into his throat as he put an arm around my waist and dragged me against him.

"I might be a randy college boy, but I have some semblance of control," he muttered, brushing his lips over the top of my head. "Go to sleep."

"But I'm wide awake," I grouched. And I was. The passion still pounding in me made my body throb and ache, move restlessly against Inuyasha's. A minute or two of that, and Inuyasha was leaping off the bed, up and over me. I blinked at him, sitting up slowly.

Inuyasha blew out a shaky breath, and grinned down at me. "You, tiger, are a dangerous sort of creature that I need to stay away from. At least for tonight." I didn't say anything, just staring up at him, my eyes wide. His grin turned into a scowl, and he said, "Fuck it," before he came back to bed, and covered my mouth with his.

"Promise you won't blame the alcohol tomorrow," Inuyasha gasped against my mouth, and I murmured an agreement, saying whatever he wanted me to say in order to get him to continue. Suddenly, my face was encased in his hands, and I was staring at his hard eyes. "Kagome, you have to promise me," he said tightly.

I opened my mouth but he cursed and jumped off of me again. I was getting very tired of this routine.

"Inuyasha, I've already made up my mind. Why are you being such a _girl _about this?" I asked. Inuyasha seemed to freeze at that, and slowly turned to stare down at me. I had meant to anger him, to goad him into making love with me, but instead he threw back his head and laughed. When he stopped, I was confused, and still miffed. He walked over to the bed, cupping my cheek in his hand. I deliberately turned my mouth to his palm, the tip of my tongue coming out to trace the lines. I watched his eyelids lower, his violet eyes no longer hard, but heating me inside/out.

"I forgot that this would be your first, baby," he said slowly. I shrugged. He cursed at that, paced away again. "You should care more about what you give away, Kagome. Your first time shouldn't be when you're half-drunk and not thinking about consequences."

"You're giving me more consideration than I expected any college boy to show me," I told him, lying back down against my pillow, and was unhappy with the fact that I was pouting.

His face filled my view, and angry and still unhappily pouting, I turned my head to the side. He put his hand against my cheek, turned my face back to his gently. His thumb stroked my pouting lower lip, and he smiled down at me. Again, this new tenderness undid me, making me wonder, again, who exactly he was.

"I'm going to go back to my place tonight." He covered my mouth to head off any protests, and I bit his hand. He yelped, and glared down at me as he rubbed his hand. "Tomorrow night," he continued while he returned my glare with his own, "you're going to have dinner with me. And afterwards--" He shot me a warning glance at my continuing noises of outrage. "Afterwards," he growled, "you're gonna come back to my place. With me. I'm going to do this right."

I settled, but still glared at him. He rubbed a knuckle against the wrinkle in between my brows, and murmured, "Don't look so mean. It doesn't suit you, tiger." His dual nicknames for me made me weak, but I didn't let him know that.

"Who says I want to have dinner with you?" I meant to snap it, but it came out more as a curious question.

"I do," he answered, and smirked when I snarled at him. "Baby, I'll make sure to do right by you."

"Why?" I asked cautiously.

He fisted his hand into the back of my head again, drew me up for a mind-blowing kiss before drawing me away dazed and confused as to who I was.

"Because you matter," he answered simply. I gave him a smile at that.

"Well, that's good. Because you matter right back," I told him, almost smugly.

Inuyasha moved towards the door, and gave me a lingering, hot glance before shutting the door firmly behind him after moving out. And then he strode right back in, all adorable growls and snarls.

"I forgot-- I don't have my car here." He gave me a warning glance, making me swallow my laughter.

"So you need a ride," I said thickly, biting my lip to keep from laughing. I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and grinned up at his annoyed face. "Guess you'll be needing a ride... sugar." If he was giving me pet names, I figured I could make one for him. "Puppy" was at the forefront of my mind, but I doubt he would appreciate that.

I gathered my keys, and took him back to the apartment. His temperament didn't get any better on the ride there, but he still gave me a promising kiss before leaving my car. On the drive back home, I grinned at the wonder of it all.

By tomorrow night, I would be having a romance of my own.

* * *

**wk**: Hope you enjoyed, and hope you weren't offended by my language. Read and review, as always. :)


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